CCBF Welcomes Two Interns

In 2021, Chicago Community Bond Fund created two new internships for advocacy and communications. We are excited to announce the first interns to fill these positions: Chase Leito and Valentina Sol Pucarelli.

As CCBF’s Communications Intern, Valentina supports our advocacy and operations teams. As CCBF’s Advocacy Intern, Chase supports our advocacy team and the Coalition to End Money Bond. Chase and Valentina will be involved in developing educational materials and multimedia projects.

The two of them joined CCBF’s staff on January 18, 2022. Read more about them below!

*Image Description: Chase smiles in the headshot against a tan bookshelf that is full. They have ear-length black braided hair and are wearing a burgundy shirt with a black tie and a black suit jacket.*

Chase Leito (they/he) is the Spring 2022 Advocacy Intern at the Chicago Community Bond Fund and is from Tempe, AZ. They are the founder and executive producer of Decarceral Constellations, a podcast focused on the intersections between the criminal punishment system and socioeconomic and political issues. Chase is a 2021 Mass Incarceration Fellow at the Pozen Center for Human Rights at the University of Chicago and an organizer with Black Youth Project 100. Prior to joining CCBF, Chase worked at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, tackling issues related to racial and criminal justice, economic equity, and protecting voting rights alongside senior researchers.

Chase is a senior at the University of Chicago working on their BA in Sociology and Social Policy. They are very excited to continue growing as an advocate for communities affected by the criminal punishment system and fight for the abolition of that system.

Image Description: Valentina smiles and holds their camera at an outdoor cafe. They have short black hair, glasses, and they are wearing a teal sweater and a camera around their shoulder. Photo by K’Von Jackson.

Valentina Sol Pucarelli (they/she) is the Spring 2022 Communications Intern for the Chicago Community Bond Fund. They are a documentary photographer, filmmaker, journalist, and overall storyteller, with a focus on social justice movements and environmental issues. Valentina was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, moved to Chicago in 2017, and recently graduated with honors from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in Interdisciplinary Documentary. Prior to working at CCBF, Valentina interned for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and was a photojournalist for the Columbia Chronicle, Columbia College’s student-run newspaper, covering campaigns like Stop Shotspotter, Stop General Iron, Treatment Not Trauma, and more.

Welcome to CCBF, Chase and Valentina! We are grateful to have you for the Spring of 2022.

CCBF staff, CCBF2022, Internships, Staff2022