This summer, any upcoming sophomore, junior or senior student was able to take part in a school coordinated program in order to receive internships.

Through the program, several students were able to obtain internships, each of which was offered by a local business. Every internship was different and focused on a different skill, such as engineering, marketing, or event planning. One student who received an internship through the program was Alex Tang, junior.

“I received the Joanie’s Closet internship about project and inventory management. […] I decided to go through the school [because] I knew that the internships offered would be specifically for high school students,” Tang said. “So, the planning for times and workload would be designed for us students, [as compared to] other internships not offered through the school.”

Another benefit of receiving an internship through the school was how it was much more efficient than submitting a resume and not always getting a response, according to Tia O’Malley, senior. O’Malley received a STEM internship through Sylvan Learning Centers, and although she said the entire program was a “perfect fit” for her it was also a humbling one.

“I didn’t always tutor the kids, I would have to do other internship [responsibilities] such as printing and filing. It was good to remember everyone has to start somewhere,” said O’Malley.

Due to how smooth the program ran, there are currently plans to continue building it, according to Beth Slaughter, District Development Coordinator. Last year, the program only offered three internships, while this year seven were offered. According to Slaughter, it’ll be uphill from here.

“Discussions are already taking place to [get] more internship hosts; the support by local business has been tremendous,” said Slaughter. “This is [only] the second year that internships have been offered, [but] providing these internships [along with] other experiential learning opportunities is a [large] part of the district’s plan.”