Internship Academy: Taking Education Outside the Classroom

Now that we're nearing the end of the school year, certain juniors have completed the process of applying and interviewing for Worthington Christian’s fall 2010 Internship Academy.

The Internship Academy has been available at Worthington Christian for the past 6 years, and has been a huge success. A number of students, every year, have the experience of getting hands-on education within the career field in which they are interested. Mr. Anglea had a vision for this program for some time, but it wasn’t until Mrs. Wheat came to our school that it became a reality. Mrs. Wheat’s previous experience with managing internship programs was just what Mr. Anglea needed to take his idea to the next level.

This year, a record number of students filled out the applications for Internship Academy, early in March. These applications inquired about the students’ interests and their reasons for wanting to be involved in the internship program. As a result of the large number of applicants, the course is highly competitive, and the selection process is rigorous. With only 11 or 12 positions available, the 29 students who applied must compete for a spot in the class. Mackenzie Clapper said “I think interning will be a good experience, because it will help me decide what I will major in, in college.”

The applicants are evaluated on the grounds of academic qualification, punctuality, professionalism, and work ethic. These are the characteristics of someone who will flourish in the Internship Academy program. A list of the interviewees is also given to all of the staff members so they can provide insights on the students that they have had in class. The interviews were conducted by Mrs. Wheat, who was accompanied by a business expert and a former intern from the previous year’s class. The students are invited into a formal interview and questioned about their interests and what they expect to receive from the Internship Academy. Nathan Deskins, who just completed his interview recently, said “The interviews were very in-depth.”

Students have an opportunity to intern with almost any occupation. Nathan Deskins said he wanted to intern because he likes that it gives him the opportunity to go out and work. Interns from last semester’s class went, after school, to participate in many different professions. From Braden Peters, who interned with a police department, to Kaley Heath, who interned with the Promo West Pavilion, learning about media and film, the students have almost limitless choices, even in the medical field. However, with the swine flu virus of this last year, some students found it difficult to find accepting mentors within the hospitals in our area. Such a circumstance may not be a problem for this next school year, because the swine flu scare is now mostly gone.

Internship Academy is most definitely not what you would call an “easy A.” Mrs. Wheat said “The students begin the course by spending the first few weeks of class studying the book of Nehemiah,” who is the biblical representation of all the qualities that make a hard worker, and a good leader. As they learn more about how to be a professional business person, they also learn about how to write a credible resume. Having qualities that make you a diligent worker is pointless if you can’t advertise them effectively. Mrs. Wheat is hoping that through learning these qualities, the students will be able to take advantage of this program to its fullest degree.

The students are paired with their mentors, the business professionals with whom they will be interning. After sixth period, the Interns go to their new place of occupation. In order to pass the class, the students must spend at least 10 hours a week with their mentor, and record the time they spend interning in a time log, which is signed by the mentor. The students also must keep a journal, in which they record their experiences. All of this information is put in the intern’s portfolio at the end of the semester.

Most of the time, Mrs. Wheat has pre-existing connections with almost every field in which a student would be interested in interning. However, when a student wants to intern in a career field with which Mrs. Wheat has no pre-established contacts, she must begin the difficult process of finding a completely new mentor. First, she sends a mass email to all of the teachers and parents asking if anyone has any contacts within that field; and with the wide variety of careers that the parents of Worthington Christian are involved, it is not normally a problem to find a Christian, professional mentor.

For almost all occupations, the students have an opportunity to participate directly with their work. Unfortunately, sometimes the type of work in which they are interning can limit the amount of hands-on experience they can receive. For example, any job that requires a license to perform, like surgery, or many other medical fields, is very difficult for a student to participate in, legally. However, this shouldn’t discourage anyone from applying to intern in these fields, because even if you can’t contribute directly, students will still be able to learn extensively about their desired career from aiding and observing their mentors.

The juniors that recently applied for Internship Academy are extremely excited to take part in this program next year: they are thrilled to continue their education by moving out of the classroom, and into the work place.