“The lens wiper project I worked on required hands-on work and allowed me to contribute my strengths to a larger company project.”— intern at Vicarious Surgical
“This internship allowed me to explore the profession further and decide if it is something I would like to do in the future.”— intern at Bay State Physical Therapy
“I really liked how hands-on it was, I learned something new every day!”— intern with an AHS history teacher
“The most important thing I learned was how to work with people in the industry I want to go into..”— intern at ACMi
“Awesome people! Hands-on experience and I got to hang out with goats!”— intern at Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary
These quotes came from five of the 34 AHS students taking part in the Arlington High School Internship Program this fall. Since 2013, the Program has been offering students the chance to follow their passions outside the classroom and experience what it means to be part of the workplace. As an "employee", each intern must work an average of four hours per week, dress in business casual or more formal attire, and demonstrate motivation and responsibility when handling assigned duties. The interns complete work of value to the host organization and complete monthly hour logs and journal entries, meet with the Program Director, Nicole Eidson, for a formal site visit and check-in and report on what they have learned at the end of the term. Each supervisor completes an evaluation form that provides feedback about the students’ progress.
Before their work begins, the students attend a three-day orientation with Program Director and AHS English teacher Nicole Eidson. Together they discuss the logistics of the program, review the course contract, review the course syllabus, and discuss the objectives. Each student sets goals for the semester, and these are revisited in journal prompts throughout their assignments. The interns read and discuss articles about the benefits of internships, as well as those about some of the obstacles they may encounter. Expectations such as professionalism and communication are discussed.. Lastly, the participants role play and discuss scenarios that have come up in the past and brainstorm the best ways to handle them.
The range of experiences and organizations that AHS students can choose from is vast, and this semester’s interns took full advantage of this. In addition to the organizations listed in the quotes above, students had state and municipal government assignments, as well as mental health and substance abuse, finance, journalism and reporting, non profit organizations, and the arts. A sample of the work that was undertaken includes marketing and sales, a hands-on project associated with a product in development, researching legislation and corporations, creating social media content and graphics, lesson planning, and working with children in an afterschool program.
Ms. Eidson reports that organizations continue to be added to the list. Completely new sites that are hosting interns this spring include two law offices, Recirclable, Meghan Shadrick Interiors, PRO EMS, and the DevTech Research Group at Boston College. AHS has two new areas open to interns: the Nursing Department and Athletic Training.
A total of 62 students are taking part in the program this school year, with five of them completing full year assignments. Each one is getting valuable learning outside the classroom and making real contributions to their workplace, school, and the broader community. Ms. Eidson says that “The participants report feeling engaged and inspired at their internship sites as they apply their knowledge and skills in a professional setting. Many students find this experience both challenging and rewarding as they see the impact of their work in the real world.”