As graduation approaches in just six months, so do internship opportunities for seniors. Foran offers a senior internship program where seniors have the opportunity to participate in a three-week-long internship of their choice.

    Business Teacher at Foran, Mrs. Melissa Cacioppo, is the first coordinator for the internship program at Foran. In past years, there was one coordinator for both Jonathan Law and Foran, Ms. Kelsey Burns, who is a history teacher at Jonathan Law and currently the coordinator for Law’s senior internship program.

    In order to choose an internship, a student has the opportunity to write a letter to three businesses of their choice. If they have trouble finding an internship or choosing, the coordinator will help the student with placement. The internship is during the last three weeks of school, so instead of going to school the student attends the internship.

    According to Cacioppo, “In the past, students have done internships in places such as New York City, so these internships are not confined to only Milford. However, students do have to provide their own transportation.” Students also must have a minimum of a 70 average for the year in all classes, have no excessive tardies or absences in the second semester, and may not have any out-of-school suspensions during this current year. In-school suspensions are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. 

     Participating in an internship has many benefits that assist with students moving into the real world when they graduate. Ms. Kelsey Burns stated, “The importance in offering an internship program to seniors is essential in ensuring that upon graduating from Milford Public Schools students were provided with every opportunity possible to successfully thrive in their post-secondary endeavors.  The internship allows interested seniors to take their learning outside of the traditional classroom and obtain experiential opportunities in a myriad of settings that align with their specific interests and goals.” 

    Burns added, “Students leave senior year with a jump-start on their future and a tangible experience they can refer back to and that can aid in securing future internships and expanding their professional network.”

     Internships provide students with numerous unique opportunities. Sofia Nazeer, who graduated from Foran in 2019, participated in an internship during her senior year. Nazeer states, “I did my internship at the Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Service in New Haven and I felt like if I did this internship it would give me a leg up compared to other students who haven’t had one when applying for an internship in college.” She adds, “I also wanted to have the experience of working with refugees while also being in a professional workspace, it was really unique”

     Courtney Olenski graduated from Foran in 2019. During her last three weeks in high school, she did an internship at Yale New Haven Geriatric Center. Olenski said she learned a lot from this experience.

     “I learned more about how the mind and body declines as one gets older and how the choices you make now can severely affect your future self,” she said, adding, “It is important to do an internship because it gives you a real-life experience and can help with starting a career in the future. Also, getting a head-start on networking can help you tremendously when getting a job.”

     Cacioppo agrees that participating in a high school internship is important. She said, “By doing an internship, it gives the students a real-world experience that can help in deciding their futures.”

     By February, application packets will be available to fill out for entrance into the senior internship program on the milforded.org website under the guidance section. If interested in doing an internship, students should begin thinking of where they would like to do their internship and even contact businesses or organizations. Listen to the morning announcements and contact Mrs. Cacioppo, the coordinator for the program, at [email protected] or visit her in room 341 with any questions.