By Jennifer La Lima
A number of young adults are well on their way to becoming teachers,
graphic designers and architects, and none has yet graduated high school. Through the Senior Experience, an innovative internship program, 48 Calhoun High
School seniors are getting a head start on their dream careers.
Two days a week, 12th-grader Brian Zarro helps teach math at Grand Avenue
Middle School. He said the program's helping him plan for the future. "I
wouldn't want to waste any time in college," Zarro said. "I really want to be a
junior-high or high-school math teacher. I feel a lot more comfortable going
into college knowing I've had some experience and that this is something I'd like to do."
Senior Experience teachers Kate Coughlin and Jason Elias encourage
students to work as individuals and in a group. The curriculum includes English and social studies lessons.
Students must come to Senior Experience ready to voice their opinions on
the latest book assignment or discussion theme. Recently, they read
"Hiroshima" by John Hersey. They had to answer a number of questions: What is a crime against humanity? What is a leader, and what kind of political leader would you want to be?
Students are free to say what they think. Elias said, "We designed the
curriculum so that students connect with a college atmosphere. They are
responsible for attending their internship, as well as classes."
Students intern two days per week, for two to four hours per session. The
students come together in class the other three weekdays. They keep journals
about their internship experiences.
Ellen Katz, the internship coordinator and adviser, said the program
gives seniors an early opportunity to decide whether their dream job is right for them. "I've had students come back and say that the profession they've chosen just isn't for them after all," Katz said. "They have the freedom to choose a new internship. But, in most cases, they really love their chosen field."
Calhoun senior Erika Santa wants be a teacher. Recently accepted to C.W.
Post, she believes the Senior Experience is excellent preparation for college.
She said, "Interning at Birch Elementary School has really opened my eyes to
the real world. I knew right away that this internship was for me."
For student Tracy Koch, photography is more complicated than she had
imagined. Her internship journal is filled with the excitement and the
disappointments that come with pursuing a new career.
Koch wrote, "I've learned a lot about people and companies. Although your
vision of a job might be perfect for you, someone else might hate it...I've
come to the conclusion that you're going to have highs and lows and different
opinions. You just can't give up and get discouraged."
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