Student Lookout: Stellar sushi and the return of the Watsonville Film Festival

Hey, hi and hello, everybody,

Can y’all believe it’s already March? I honestly find it difficult to grasp, seeing as how New Year’s Eve was just the other day, right? I mean at this rate, what’s next? 2024? Sounds pretty far-fetched if you ask me.

Regardless, the beginning of March means you have spring break coming at you fast. Shoot me a text and let me know what you’ve got going on during this year’s break. Do you take the time to plan out a full trip, or is this the week that you get to do a whole lot of nothing and be proud of it? I think I defaulted to the latter, but welcomed the former with open arms if something came together.

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Let’s get to it …

Deals Download

Check out these student discounts:

• Students (and teachers) get 10% off at Well Within on Thursdays.
• HoM Korean Kitchen offers 15% off for students.
• Seymour Marine Discovery Center offers free admission to UC Santa Cruz students and 25% off for all student tickets.

BEST DEAL OF THE MONTH: $5 movie tickets at Cinelux

CineLux Theatres are now offering $5 movie tickets on Tuesdays. You can purchase your tickets online or in person. What a deal!

➤ Want to share these deals with your friends? Have them sign up for Student Lookout texts with this link.

Good Eats

Otoro Sushi ($$ - $$$)

It might be out in Scotts Valley, but it’s some of the best sushi you can get around here. Get some friends together and head up to Otoro Sushi and choose a few of its quite large rolls to split. I’m partial to the Tarantula Roll, which has both tuna and yellowtail wrapped around the outside with crispy soft-shell crab on the inside. The unagi roll (grilled eel) is also delicious and not too heavy on the sweet sauce. But there’s plenty more to choose from, none of which will disappoint.

If you love food, too, be sure to check out the work by our local food expert, Lily Belli. Lily has stepped away for maternity leave, but she’ll be back in July, and until then, we’ll have a number of capable folks keeping local food coverage going over here. Her final column (for now) sheds light on some of the perhaps unexpectedly high-quality options at the Capitola Mall, including the quesabirria tacos from Taquizas Gabriel.

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Inside Santa Cruz: Internships to check out!

As the school year pushes forward, there is always the lingering pressure to find an internship. Trying to find the perfect internship that lines up with your major or future career choice can be hard. I would suggest going first to your school’s career center — not only might they be able match you with an internship that aligns with your interests, you could potentially get course credit. But if you don’t have the time or just haven’t had any luck, this list can help give an idea of what internships are available.

Santa Cruz County Parks

Santa Cruz County Parks has a wide variety of internship opportunities that you can check out to see if your major aligns with them. Two internships are currently available; both are unpaid with course credit available, and a minimum length of four months. The age range for these internships are 18 years and above, but the agency will consider interns as young as 16.

Fiscal and Administrative Intern (Unpaid)

Gain practical local-government experience that will help you develop skills in administrative and fiscal support. Interns responsibilities can include: auditing incoming invoices, tracking expenditures and maintaining vendors payroll files. Qualifications for this internship are basic accounting knowledge and the ability to collect and analyze data. Local government experience is a bonus. Interns must be able to work a minimum of five hours a week. You can apply directly through the Santa Cruz County Parks website or through the Monterey Bay Internship website.

Archivist / Historical Records Management Intern (Unpaid)

For this internship, you will help digitize historical collections of records, photographs, blueprints and government documents and rehousing collections. You will familiarize yourself with county parks records, labeling and organizing work. Santa Cruz County Parks is seeking someone proficient with computers, who has strong organizational skills, ability to work independently and an interest in history and parks. Depending on an intern’s availability, shifts can run from two to eight hours. Interns must work 120 hours within the four-month period.

Driscoll’s

The Watsonville berry giant is currently looking for full-time, paid interns. Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited college or university undergraduate, graduate or doctorate program. Pay varies by level of education. Current undergraduate students and recent graduates can receive $18 to $22 an hour, while those with master’s and doctorate degrees receive $26 to $40. You can also work with your school to receive course credit. These internships are available March through June, with the length varying from three to six months. Driscoll’s is currently offering eight different internships stretching from marketing to software engineering to berry breeding.

Product Business Management Intern (Paid)

Help manage the supply and demand of fresh fruit in alignment with customers and berry growers. Interns will be working with various departments to make sure the fruit product hits the market effectively. This will be done by speaking with growers and customers to learn supply chain management, pricing and production.

Software Engineering Intern (Paid)

Work with Driscoll’s research and development group that focuses on breeding strawberries. You will help to develop a tool that scientists use to track and study data from the berry breeding program. Interns will have the chance to be in the field and learn about seedling selection, fruit evaluation and other aspects of growing berries commercially. At the end of your internship you will present an oral report on the data you help collect and your findings. For this internship, applicants must be enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s degree program for data science, computer science or software engineering.

Homeless Garden Project

This nonprofit organization helps people experiencing homelessness access support, resources, job training and transitional employment. While there are no internships currently available, there is a volunteer opportunity that can help diversity your résumé and have a meaningful impact on the community. Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in a related field and work under the supervision of a licensed clinical social worker.

Social Work Volunteer (Unpaid)

As a social work volunteer, you will work 10 to 12 hours a week, Tuesday through Friday, from mid-May to September. You’ll work directly with clients, helping them participate in job training and transitional employment programs. This includes addressing the trainees’ health care, legal issues, transportation and shelter needs. Through your volunteer work you will gain experience in a nonprofit organization and insight to community resources. You’ll also learn counseling skills and receive training in motivational interviewing and positive psychology.

Around Town - Events

Did you know that we have an events calendar? BOLO, which stands for Be On the Lookout, is our hub for the best events in the county. See all the listings here.

Here are some events you should check out:

Watsonville Film Festival, Friday through Sunday, March 12

It’s time once again for the Watsonville Film Festival. Now in its 11th year, the festival is yet another chance to explore some of the strongest voices in film both local and beyond. Each day has a different start time and different main events, so check the schedule here to figure out which day to make the trip to the Mello Center or to stream the films. Tickets are free, but donations are welcome.

First Friday Art Tour, Friday, 4 -9 p.m.

Find the usual fantastic mix of local art around the county this Friday. No matter what part of the county you might be in, you’ll be able to find some First Friday participants. Check out the full list of events here.

The Hive Live! Featuring Danusha Laméris and Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Tuesday, 7-9 p.m.

Fans of poetry should check out Bookshop Santa Cruz on Tuesday evening, when two poet laureates — former Santa Cruz County Poet Laureate Danusha Laméris and former Santa Barbara County Poet Laureate Laure-Anne Bosselaar — will present their award-winning poetry. Pick up some new or used books from the shop while you’re at it!

Bonus: Live painting art pop-up at Abbott Square with Jamie Garfield

That’s right, our student engagement director and resident visual artist, Jamie Garfield, will have her own painting pop-up running at Abbott Square this Friday. If y’all can make it, do your best to dress up like someone touring a gallery, shower her with lots of “ooohhs” and “aaahhhs” and don’t forget to offer your detailed analysis!

➤ Want more? If you’re still looking for great things to do, check out Wallace Baine’s Weekender here.

Puzzle Center

Got what it takes to decipher this Word Search puzzle? Put yourself to the test. If you enjoy these, check out our full Puzzle Center.

Lookout Job Board

Are you looking for a job? Check out our job board for Santa Cruz County openings.

➤ More local jobs: Browse more open positions on the Lookout Job Board.

That’s just about gonna wrap it up for me this week. Hopefully y’all have been staying warm out there, it’s been quite the chilly winter.

Take care of yourselves and I’ll talk to you next week!

— Max