By Marlín Tejeda Melo

How spectacular would it be to see our next generation excel in the workforce because of the basic work skills that they learned through an internship program during high school? With an internship program, students would be able to know how to act appropriately in a variety of social situations, from friends to coworkers. Students would get a better understanding of work ethic. Sadly, some students do not know anything about how to present a good first impression that might lead them to a job. Change needs to happen. We need to develop internship programs in all high schools as a requirement to graduate.

Having this internship program would help students gain knowledge about job requirements and could lower the dropout rate because it would increases student involvement with education. It would directly show students the connection between school and real-life scenarios. Another benefit of an internship program would be to help some students celebrate successes that they may not have had with traditional academics. It is crucial that Boston Public Schools establishes internship programs and offers them to all students as a means of providing alternative education options for students who would otherwise drop out.

Our school has made a move in the right direction by initiating internship programs and job offers to keep students in school. Crystal Wagner, in-school coordinator for the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) at the Margarita Muñiz Academy, said, “In Boston there are a lot of opportunities that the youth can take part in, such as working in a world-renowned hospital like Brigham and Women’s. You can work at John Hancock. You can work at multibillion-[dollar] tech firms like Microsoft. You can see what sort of industries are out there and make those connections between your education and what it takes to get there, and then talk to people and professionals and figure out the steps they took to get here, [and think] ,maybe that’s what I need to do, too.”^[1]

In order to establish this internship program, three critical components have to be met:

1. An internship coordinator needs to be hired.
2. The instructor of the internship class needs to show students how to prepare for an internship.
3. The coordinator of the internship class needs to connect the students to the internships, and the instructor needs to evaluate the student on the actual job that the student has accomplished, thanks to the program.

I went to TJ Maxx because I applied to work at TJ Maxx through an internship offered by PIC. I take a job interview very seriously, so I dressed in the correct work attire. I made sure I had my resume and as I was waiting to be interviewed, I saw a lot of teenage adults that were wearing ripped jeans, excessively casual shoes, and sweaters that had slang words or profanity on them. I was shocked at the way people of my generation presented themselves. I got a second interview with the executive boss—thanks to PIC!

Sadly, many students drop out of high school for a variety of reasons. Some students have family crises and have to work many hours. Some students are seeing the amount of money they’re getting from their job as solving their economic problems. This causes lack of motivation in school and a desire to drop out. What if students had an elective such as an interview class that showed them soft and hard skills? Having this class can help a student, and it can show them the connection to school and inspire them to stay. Having this class can show students what they’re capable of and can make them feel more prepared for the 21st century.

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1. Crystal Wegner, in discussion with author, January 22, 2016. ↑