Taylor ISD interns beautify Murphy Park, help local food pantry

On a warm sunny summer day, our Taylor Independent School District (ISD) interns put on their green Samsung Gives t-shirts and spent the morning beautifying Murphy Park in their hometown of Taylor. The two dozen interns picked up litter, painted over graffiti and gave some fresh paint to the railings across the park. Jett Vanbrocklin, a 2023 Taylor High School graduate headed to the University of Texas at Austin in the fall, grabbed a paint roller and slathered on hunter green paint to a railing that he's run by numerous times as a cross-country track athlete. "I think it's an important part of a company as large as Samsung is that they give back," Vanbrlocklin said. "It's really beneficial to get both sides of the experience." On the other side of the railing, Ramiyah Brooks used a paintbrush to ensure every spot was covered. "It just teaches everyone volunteering to love their community and that you can always give back at no cost," Brooks, a 2023 Taylor High School graduate and incoming Texas State University student, added. "I think that it's great to give back" On the other side of the park, incoming high school senior Abbey Aplin and her group were busy painting over graffiti. "Since we live in Taylor, we try to focus our volunteer opportunities in Taylor because we're trying to beautify our city," Aplin said. In addition to freshening up Murphy Park, the interns also volunteered at Shepherd's Heart Food Pantry where they sorted food donations and prepared items for pick-up.

"I had a fun experience and it's nice to know that I was helping out my community and so was Samsung Austin Semiconductor," incoming high school senior Melanie Badillo, pictured above sorting produce, said. Samsung Austin Semiconductor launched the Taylor ISD internship program last summer as part of our commitment to the community. Every summer, we hire a minimum of 24 students and give them the opportunity to work with us for six weeks.