Internships provide insight into jobs and help students better understand life after college. I interviewed some students and a fellow teacher about internships at Mendham High School.
Mrs. Michelle Jaross works as a special education teacher and coordinator for work study programs. She splits her time between Central and Mendham High School. Mrs. Jaros gave me some insight into her knowledge of internships we offer at the two schools. The internships are designed to take place for half of the school day, which can earn students credit, or for Senior IT placements, it’s a single period. She stated, “Students work at the Tech Hub in the library during a free period and provide technical assistance to students and teachers”. The IT internships are available to students in grades 10-12 and get to work at the Tech Hub in the library to earn IT certifications for those interested in technology. There is no specific academic requirements to take advantage of these opportunities, but you have to have good grades and attendance. Anyone participating in a school-internship can receive credits, but for students taking internships outside of school during the school day, it must be 15-20 hours per week
Separately, some students find internship opportunities on their own through personal connections and research. Andrea Albertson Dominguez is currently a senior at Mendham High School. She had an interest in business for college, so she chose the LI international internship program for business. The program allows students from freshman to graduating seniors to work with entrepreneurs from the developing world to help start their businesses. She took virtual courses and worked with a marketing and finance team. Andrea stated, “I can already see myself doing this in my future.” She developed her skills and interest in this field through her business internship and believes it would help her through college.
While slightly different, I was also able to meet with Jessica Pappas, a senior who was in the top 30% of her junior class and got the opportunity to attend the New Jersey Governor School of Sciences. Students could either apply as a college opportunity or get recommended by the school depending on their grades and courses. She competed with other top students in the State and did it over the summer. She had ideas of working in the medical field or majoring in biology. She remarked, “One of the cool things about it was you get lab experience, class experience, so I really wanted to just see, like would this be something that I would pursue.” The internship was able to guide her down her chosen career path and was able to give her the hands-on experience that helped her realize what college would be like.
Overall, internships generally help students explore a future career path and develop real-world skills. Students can find out more about these internships by speaking with their guidance counselors, with Mrs.Jaross, or with Mrs. LoScalzo for further instruction.
