Students use internships to explore passions, careers

Many students leave high school unsure of what career they wish to pursue, while many others who claim to have a career in mind, discover very quickly that it is not what they anticipated.

Boone offers an easy (and inexpensive compared to college classes) way for students to experiment in various careers in the form of internships.

“(Internships offer a) good opportunity to explore a career (that students are) interested in before they leave high school,” business teacher Elyse Monahan said.

In order to be considered for an internship, students must apply their junior year, have previously taken at least two business classes, and complete an internship application that questions the students’ interests.

Monahan then asks past teachers of the applicants to see if the students applying meet all qualifications.

From there, she works to try and put each student into a career pathway that fits his or her interest.

“Internship has to be something that they want to do either after high school or what they’re going to go to college for,” Monahan said.

While many internships at Boone consist of going to elementary schools and insurance corporations, the following spotlights include a few individuals who are involved in some unconventional internships.

Intern does real work

Ben Morris’ internship is at Heritage Insurance, off of Houston Road in Florence, where he does real work for the company.

At his internship, Morris’ duties consist of taking lots of calls, seeing if anyone wants a quote, and verifying credit card information.

Compared to most, Morris said, his internship is much more relaxed because it isn’t a large corporation.

According to Morris, Heritage Insurance feels more like a family owned company than a traditional firm.

Morris’ internship allows him to do real work for the company, an opportunity that other interns don’t often have.

He said that the best part of interning at Heritage Insurance is being around people that love their job everyday.

Morris said that the major advantage of his internship is “(getting) onsite workplace readiness education … and the ability to network and meet new people.”

 Student interns in Ohio

On Jan. 27, Abby Johnson started her internship at Melodic Connections in Norwood, Ohio.

While most internships are at facilities within 10 miles of the school, Johnson’s is an exception.

She only attends her internship once a week, where she works with adults who have special needs.

For the first half of her internship, Johnson goes over vocal rehearsal with the adults, and the second half consists of piano practice.

Johnson helps them work on the same music every week in order to prepare them for their performance in April.

“A lot of our internships don’t necessarily work with a lot of people; most are business (related),” Johnson said. “(In) mine, you’re working with a lot of different people, and people who need extra help and assistance.”

Besides the fun experience, Johnson said internships offer a great opportunity for students to get real world experience with what they are planning on studying in college.

Senior interns at hospital

Brenden Hughes is involved in an internship at St. Elizabeth, where he gets to work in a different part of the hospital each day.

His duties consist of anything from shadowing a nurse, to tending to a patient, to helping dispose of tissues and organs in the labs.

Hughes said that his favorite part of the internship is getting to see all the dissections and tests that the pathologists run to diagnose a patient.

He said that the most interesting part of interning at St. Elizabeth is getting to bond with nurses and assistants, as well as make connections that may help him in the future.

“I feel that a major advantage of my internship is getting to see what the medical field actually consists of,” Hughes said. “I know I’ve always wanted to go into the medical field, but now I actually have seen what it consists of and it has helped me narrow down what I want to do in the future.”

Intern  follows passion

Hailey Hampton’s internship revolves around her passion for music and connection with church.

Hampton is interning at 7 Hills Church, where she gets “to do anything within the artistic outlet.”

From recording a new song, to moving stage props, Hampton’s duties change every day. She said the spontaneity is what keeps it fun and interesting.

Hampton said her future plans revolve around ministry, so her internship has “allowed (her) find out where (her) abilities (within the field) are able to be used best.”

The 7 Hills internship allows Hampton to get some experience under her belt in the field she wants to pursue, as well to “really see what it’s like day to day working in the (ministry) industry.”

Hampton appreciates that the internship allows her to see if ministry is the right spot

“(It’s) really cool to get to go (to 7 Hills) and see if I can do it everyday without getting worn out … and (so far) I haven’t.”

Unlike most internships, working at 7 Hills is less strict and more fun.

Hampton said that the internship is more emotional than most because she gets to do what she loves every day and bring people closer to God.