Hidden in the halls of South, the Internship Class remains an enigma to much of the student body. One of the only opportunities for juniors and seniors to get experience in a field of their choice before graduating, the class allows students to form relationships with adults in their potential field, and, Rosie McManamon, Career and Tech Education teacher said, work in a real-life workplace setting. 

At the end of each Gold Block 4, students meet their boss at the internship site, and throughout the semester they complete up to 60 hours of work, junior Zaina Jawaid said. Jawaid, who is interested in business, applies her skills in the field by working on marketing, finance, and administrative work at Simply Organized, a local house organizing business. 

“I wanted more experience in the marketing and business management field because I was planning on majoring in that in college,” Jawaid said. “I wanted to see what that is, and get some hands-on experience to see how my life would look in the future, and if I like it or not.”

Student interns get direct experience in a professional environment, McManamon said. Senior Mason Cornwell, who is currently interning at a law firm, agreed with McManamon’s assessment, adding that the class allows upperclassmen to learn more about subjects that they cannot take as class.

“[The Internship Class] has encouraged me to continue to pursue law,” Cornwell said. “Everything I’ve been taught in the internship has been intriguing, so I want to keep going with it.”

While the internships available offer experience in a variety of fields from pharmacy to business management, some fields just are not possible for students access,  exepcially medical internships because of students’ age and laws protecting patient privacy, McManamon said.

“I have students who want to be a surgeon, or  an anesthesiologist, but I can tell you right now I am not going to be able to get you an internship in that,” McManamon said. 

While the class may not be for everyone, it’s a useful tool for students to have when going through the process of figuring out what they want to do, Jawaid said.

“It’s very helpful, and a unique opportunity that a lot of high schoolers should participate in,” Jawaid said. “It’s important to learn about what you want to do in the future, and get your experience early on.”