American High School Alumna Selected for Television Academy Foundation Internship in Hollywood

American High School alumna Sapna Drew has been selected for the prestigious Television Academy Foundation Internship program. She is one of 40 students chosen by Television Academy members from across the country for the 2026 Summer Internship program. The Foundation offers paid internships at top Hollywood studios and production companies annually to college students nationwide.

Drew is a rising senior at UCLA majoring in physiological science. She will be a production intern this summer at Hallmark Media in Los Angeles through the Foundation’s Dick Wolf Foster Youth Internship program.

Established in 2016 with support from Dick Wolf's Wolf Family Foundation, the Dick Wolf Foster Youth Internship Program offers summer learning opportunities in television production for college students who have been in the foster care system.

“I grew up in a family affected by addiction, which created a lot of instability early in my life as a system-impacted youth,” said Drew. “Consequently, I noticed a lot of assumptions about me at school and even on TV. Nonetheless, I wanted to learn more about why people behaved the way they did and how systems meant to help could sometimes fail. This mindset of learning, instead of narrowing my world in order to cope, led me to my goal of representing authentic stories through TV writing; I now plan to continue using narrative through filmmaking to challenge assumptions, and help others see new possibilities for who they can become.

“My inspiration for a career in television was my own journaling; there was a structure to it that for a long time I couldn’t figure out,” said Drew. “They were dialogue-heavy and showed characters in my life growth, changing and surviving circumstances that they didn’t choose. I began to write alternate endings, but found myself drawn to the original ones where growth and conflict coexisted. It was the most imperfect stories that had meaning, and I found television to be the perfect medium to tell them.

“Something unique about me is how I incorporate science into my writing,” continued Drew. “I aim to combine my major of physiological science and healthcare experience into medical dramas where I can create compelling narratives inspired by real experiences and scientific accuracy. Every story I have heard in a patient room is something that can be felt, and I would love to expand those experiences into something that larger audiences can resonate with.

“This summer internship is my first opportunity to fully commit to what I love, something that can be difficult to do during the school year,” said Drew. “I’m excited to contribute to something much larger than myself that reaches and impacts wide audiences.”

Drew is originally from Fremont, California.

The Television Academy Foundation shapes the art of creating television by engaging and educating the next generation of television professionals, providing essential resources that help them discover their voices, refine their skills and forge rewarding careers in every sector of the television industry. The Internship program provides over 50 students from across the nation with hands-on work experience and networking opportunities for accelerated career development in more than 30 disciplines annually.