Brittany Barber, Features Editor
@barbercourant
Every spring, NCHS offers an internship to any senior who wants to try something new for the remaining weeks of their high school career. This is an opportunity for students to meet new people, work in a professional environment, and gain real-world experience before they begin their college years. It’s a great chance for students to test their skills and talents outside of the high school setting, and is highly encouraged by teachers and past students who shared a similar experience.
Susan Carroll, one of the members on the Senior Internship Committee, believes this is a chance to challenge yourself beyond the classroom and prepare yourself for experiences in college. “I think when you go off to college, you have one leg up because you have separated from your friends and went off to do something already,” she said. “The internships allow you to get out of the school schedule, go into the world, dress differently, speak to new people that you haven’t been with since kindergarten, and use all of those things you have learned in high school, and actually apply them.”
This year, the popularity of senior internships is the highest it’s ever been. Compared to the 160 students who participated in internships last year, 278 students of the Class of 2017 are interested in receiving an internship. With the increasing number of applicants, Ms. Carroll cannot manage it all on her own. The Senior Internship Committee welcomes Heather Bianco to be a part of the internship staff.
With Ms. Bianco’s past experience, she will be another help when placing students in their desired internship. “My background is in media with different corporations, so I chose to work here at this point in my career because I figured I could do something helpful in a school system,” she said. “This was a perfect opportunity to work with students and interns.”
Coming to NCHS, Ms. Bianco did not know anyone, but her time here has already allowed her to meet not only teachers but many seniors. “Through the interviewing process, I have met a lot of students and have seen that they are all different with diverse ideas on want to do when they get to college, which is awesome,” she said.
Because so many people have applied for internships this year, the only obstacle Ms. Bianco has to face is finding more companies. “I think the only challenge we are having, is getting other companies to sign on, which luckily we have been able to thus far,” she said. “The community has really reached out to us.”
As today’s generation is surrounded by technology, experience and expertise with social media, computer programs, and website design becomes especially useful come internship time. Ms. Carroll addresses that marketing and social media is always a class-wide favorite because students have already acquired these skills. “I think for people that are placed in small companies or businesses, skills as far as ‘Twitter,’ ‘Instagram,’ ‘Facebook,’ web pages, and photography plays into marketing very well,” she said.
With all the excitement senior internships bring, it can also be a stressful time full of crucial decisions for teachers to make, given that majority of their seniors will be gone. Katherine Leckie, who teaches a Spanish 5 Film and Culture class with all seniors, explains that with the less time she has, the quicker she has to teach the material. “I decided to quicken my pace for the second semester to fit in more of the curriculum. My seniors will also be partaking in the AAPPL exam in April, only a few weeks before they leave my class, so there is pressure to fit more in with less time,” she said.
For the few students that will remain in Ms. Leckie’s class, they will continue to work with a modified plan. “The few seniors that are not partaking in the internship will continue class with me and our curriculum. I am going to create more opportunities for project-based learning and independent assignments those last few weeks,” she said.
Although her class will soon shrink in size, and her time left is limited, she still promotes the senior internship experience. “I believe the internships are wonderful opportunities for seniors to step out of their comfort zone and step into the real world,” she said. “I have mentored several interns over the years and have seen how much they have benefited from their unique experiences.”
