PRE-INTERNSHIP POSTS
FIRST POST: Describe your hopes, goals, and fears for your internship. Please make sure your blog entry covers all three. Consider your job placement, what you know of the company, what you’ve talked about with your mentor and how you see this overall experience fitting into your education, your life, and your future.
INTERNSHIP ORIENTATION DAY is on Wednesday, March 22, 2023
As part of the Internship experience, students will do an internship orientation visit before the beginning of Internship. The intern (student) is expected to communicate with his/her/their mentor in order to set up the specific details of this site visit (time for the visit, when to arrive, where to go, what to wear, where to park, etc.).
On Wednesday, March 22, 2023:
--If your mentor has submitted the Commitment Form AND your parent/guardian has submitted the Handbook Form, you will conduct your site visit instead of coming to school. For this day to count for attendance, you will need to complete the pre-internship blog posts, including uploading a selfie with you and your mentor to your blog, by 11:59 PM.
--If you do not have an internship, or we do not have BOTH the Mentor and Handbook forms on file, you are expected to attend school on March 22nd. The focus of the day will be in finding an internship and getting the forms completed. Ideally you would come to school in the morning, complete these forms, and then go on a visit in the afternoon.
--If an organization requires you to come on a separate day, you must come to school on March 22nd. Please communicate with your teachers about a non-March 22nd site visit.
**When in doubt, please have your parent/guardian communicate with Karen about your attendance!
What is an orientation visit? Think of it as internship orientation. The purpose of the visit is two-fold. First, this is an opportunity for the mentor to make clear the expectations and requirements for a successful internship. Second, to confirm that this will be an appropriate and good fit for the student’s internship experience.
During the site visit students will:
1.Figure out how to get the site and where to go!
2. Meet their mentor and other colleagues at the site.
3. Learn more about their role as an intern at the site.
4. Observe what professional dress looks like at the site.
5. Complete a mentor interview & take a photo with your mentor.
--You will receive the mentor interview handout during internship support time on Tuesday, March 21st. This will help you in completing your second pre-internship blog post.
6. Learn about expectations and logistics for the first week of internship.
7. Brainstorm ideas and begin to develop a project idea (this can change over time).
8. Have fun!
SECOND BLOG POST: Orientation Reflection– Use your Mentor Interview as part of your reflection.)
What goods and/or services does your company provide to the community and how do they consider their role in the community, responsibilities to society? What is your company's (or mentor’s) mission statement? If they don’t have one, write it! How do you see it in their work?
Describe and brainstorm the project you'll do at internship, including the skills and technology you need to do it and what you hope your project looks like as a final product.
-Which skills (academic, creative, technical) will you utilize and/or develop while you work on this project? -How will the project benefit the organization?
-If you don’t yet have a project, suggest some for your internship.
Visual Requirements: 3 images
#1. Post an image of you with your mentor. Please include a caption with your mentor’s name and title.
#2. Post an image of the front door of your internship site and/or at your work station on site.
#3. Post one additional image from your orientation visit. In the caption, explain why you selected this photo from your site visit.
FIRST POST: Describe your hopes, goals, and fears for your internship. Please make sure your blog entry covers all three. Consider your job placement, what you know of the company, what you’ve talked about with your mentor and how you see this overall experience fitting into your education, your life, and your future.
INTERNSHIP ORIENTATION DAY is on Wednesday, March 22, 2023
As part of the Internship experience, students will do an internship orientation visit before the beginning of Internship. The intern (student) is expected to communicate with his/her/their mentor in order to set up the specific details of this site visit (time for the visit, when to arrive, where to go, what to wear, where to park, etc.).
On Wednesday, March 22, 2023:
--If your mentor has submitted the Commitment Form AND your parent/guardian has submitted the Handbook Form, you will conduct your site visit instead of coming to school. For this day to count for attendance, you will need to complete the pre-internship blog posts, including uploading a selfie with you and your mentor to your blog, by 11:59 PM.
--If you do not have an internship, or we do not have BOTH the Mentor and Handbook forms on file, you are expected to attend school on March 22nd. The focus of the day will be in finding an internship and getting the forms completed. Ideally you would come to school in the morning, complete these forms, and then go on a visit in the afternoon.
--If an organization requires you to come on a separate day, you must come to school on March 22nd. Please communicate with your teachers about a non-March 22nd site visit.
**When in doubt, please have your parent/guardian communicate with Karen about your attendance!
What is an orientation visit? Think of it as internship orientation. The purpose of the visit is two-fold. First, this is an opportunity for the mentor to make clear the expectations and requirements for a successful internship. Second, to confirm that this will be an appropriate and good fit for the student’s internship experience.
During the site visit students will:
1.Figure out how to get the site and where to go!
2. Meet their mentor and other colleagues at the site.
3. Learn more about their role as an intern at the site.
4. Observe what professional dress looks like at the site.
5. Complete a mentor interview & take a photo with your mentor.
--You will receive the mentor interview handout during internship support time on Tuesday, March 21st. This will help you in completing your second pre-internship blog post.
6. Learn about expectations and logistics for the first week of internship.
7. Brainstorm ideas and begin to develop a project idea (this can change over time).
8. Have fun!
SECOND BLOG POST: Orientation Reflection– Use your Mentor Interview as part of your reflection.)
What goods and/or services does your company provide to the community and how do they consider their role in the community, responsibilities to society? What is your company's (or mentor’s) mission statement? If they don’t have one, write it! How do you see it in their work?
Describe and brainstorm the project you'll do at internship, including the skills and technology you need to do it and what you hope your project looks like as a final product.
-Which skills (academic, creative, technical) will you utilize and/or develop while you work on this project? -How will the project benefit the organization?
-If you don’t yet have a project, suggest some for your internship.
Visual Requirements: 3 images
#1. Post an image of you with your mentor. Please include a caption with your mentor’s name and title.
#2. Post an image of the front door of your internship site and/or at your work station on site.
#3. Post one additional image from your orientation visit. In the caption, explain why you selected this photo from your site visit.
Week One
Please make sure to keep track of your Internship Hours on this timesheet.
Choose two of the following & post a thoughtful response on your blog.
You may do them at any point during the week, but make sure both are done by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday.
Please write at least 100 words per blog post.
1. What has been most interesting about our first week of internship? What is most surprising?
2.What has been a challenge for you this week? How did you (or are you) dealing with this challenge?
3.What is something that you appreciate about your internship site or mentor? Explain.
4.Compare and contrast the work week with the school week. How would you compare the two experiences? How might your internship experience influence your next semester of school? And how might school influence the next time you intern or start a career?
Visual Requirement: Post THREE photographs to your blog. For each photograph, include a caption (see caption instructions below)
How to Write a Caption
1st Sentence: Explain what is happening in the photo in present tense. Answer as many of the 5 Ws (Who, What, When, Where, Why) as applicable
2nd Sentence: Usually past tense and gives background information about the photo or the situation. The focus should be on sharing interesting information with readers and telling a story.
3rd Sentence: (if necessary): Gives a quote from someone who was involved in the photograph activity.
Please make sure to keep track of your Internship Hours on this timesheet.
Choose two of the following & post a thoughtful response on your blog.
You may do them at any point during the week, but make sure both are done by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday.
Please write at least 100 words per blog post.
1. What has been most interesting about our first week of internship? What is most surprising?
2.What has been a challenge for you this week? How did you (or are you) dealing with this challenge?
3.What is something that you appreciate about your internship site or mentor? Explain.
4.Compare and contrast the work week with the school week. How would you compare the two experiences? How might your internship experience influence your next semester of school? And how might school influence the next time you intern or start a career?
Visual Requirement: Post THREE photographs to your blog. For each photograph, include a caption (see caption instructions below)
How to Write a Caption
1st Sentence: Explain what is happening in the photo in present tense. Answer as many of the 5 Ws (Who, What, When, Where, Why) as applicable
2nd Sentence: Usually past tense and gives background information about the photo or the situation. The focus should be on sharing interesting information with readers and telling a story.
3rd Sentence: (if necessary): Gives a quote from someone who was involved in the photograph activity.
Week Two
Respond to two of the following prompts & post thoughtful responses on your blog (minimum 100 words per blog post).
You may do them at any point during the week, but make sure both are done by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday.
1. How do you see yourself growing or changing over the course of your internship? How do you see your role developing at your internship?
2. What do you hope to take away from this internship?
3. Describe/Brainstorm your project. You’ve been at internship for over a week now and you might have an idea of what your internship project will be. If not, now is the perfect time to brainstorm! What will you be doing? What will the final product look like? Which skills (academic, creative, technical) will you utilize and/or develop while you work on this project? How will the project benefit the organization?
4. What is the biggest challenge you face at your internship? How do you deal with this challenge?
5. What is a success you have had at your internship? What is something that you are proud of having done?
Week Two Visual Requirement: Post THREE photographs from internship to your blog. For each photograph, include a caption. (For a reminder of how to write a caption, see Week One.)
Respond to two of the following prompts & post thoughtful responses on your blog (minimum 100 words per blog post).
You may do them at any point during the week, but make sure both are done by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday.
1. How do you see yourself growing or changing over the course of your internship? How do you see your role developing at your internship?
2. What do you hope to take away from this internship?
3. Describe/Brainstorm your project. You’ve been at internship for over a week now and you might have an idea of what your internship project will be. If not, now is the perfect time to brainstorm! What will you be doing? What will the final product look like? Which skills (academic, creative, technical) will you utilize and/or develop while you work on this project? How will the project benefit the organization?
4. What is the biggest challenge you face at your internship? How do you deal with this challenge?
5. What is a success you have had at your internship? What is something that you are proud of having done?
Week Two Visual Requirement: Post THREE photographs from internship to your blog. For each photograph, include a caption. (For a reminder of how to write a caption, see Week One.)
Week Three
Special Assignment for Week Three: Interview your mentor.
You will be required to write a mentor profile when you return to school. This interview will be the basis for this assignment. For helpful information, please see Link to Mentor Profile assignment
In general, you will want to know and understand who your mentor is. Describe his/her/their life, education, career path and more. What did they do to get this job? Did they envision themselves with this job when they were younger? What has his/her/their journey been like? Record this information (write it down, record it, do whatever you need to capture the interview).
Two Blog Requirements for Week 3:
#1. Post the highlights from your mentor interview on your blog. Choose 3-5 specific quotes and explain what makes these quotes meaningful to you.
#2.Project update: You are now 3/5ths of the way done with your internship. How is your internship project going? Describe an update on the project details and share out the process from beginning to where you are now. What did you learn about yourself through working on the internship project(s)? Discuss challenges, solutions, skills utilized & gained, and overall learning achieved. Who can you ask for help?
Week Three Visual Requirement:
1.Please post a picture of your mentor along with this post! If you are doing an online internship, please post a screenshot of you with your mentor. If you are in person, please take a photo of you and your mentor.
2.Take a photo (or include a visual representation) of your project in process.
Special Assignment for Week Three: Interview your mentor.
You will be required to write a mentor profile when you return to school. This interview will be the basis for this assignment. For helpful information, please see Link to Mentor Profile assignment
In general, you will want to know and understand who your mentor is. Describe his/her/their life, education, career path and more. What did they do to get this job? Did they envision themselves with this job when they were younger? What has his/her/their journey been like? Record this information (write it down, record it, do whatever you need to capture the interview).
Two Blog Requirements for Week 3:
#1. Post the highlights from your mentor interview on your blog. Choose 3-5 specific quotes and explain what makes these quotes meaningful to you.
#2.Project update: You are now 3/5ths of the way done with your internship. How is your internship project going? Describe an update on the project details and share out the process from beginning to where you are now. What did you learn about yourself through working on the internship project(s)? Discuss challenges, solutions, skills utilized & gained, and overall learning achieved. Who can you ask for help?
Week Three Visual Requirement:
1.Please post a picture of your mentor along with this post! If you are doing an online internship, please post a screenshot of you with your mentor. If you are in person, please take a photo of you and your mentor.
2.Take a photo (or include a visual representation) of your project in process.
Week Four
Choose TWO of the following & post a thoughtful response on your blog.
You may do them at any point during the week, but make sure both are done by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday.
Please write at least 100 words per blog post.
1. Has your internship influenced the way you think about school/education? In what way/s? What new courses of study or new major might you pursue?
2. What lessons or experiences at your internship will you bring back to school to help you further improve in your academics?
3. Free Choice: Please take this opportunity to write about something interesting about your internship. If you have had a lingering question or topic you wanted to include in your blog posts but haven't yet, post it now! If not, think of something! Though not required, try to make it entertaining for your readers.
4. Wondering what your fellow interns are doing? Please read and comment on at least TWO other students’ blogs. The link to 2022 student blogs is here. Write your comments, which should be about 50 words/or 2-3 sentences, on your own blog post, and add a link to your classmates’ blogs.
Possible questions to answer: What stands out to you from their experiences? What experiences do you have in common? What contrasts do you see? What questions do you have?
Week Four Visual Requirement– Choose One:
a. Post THREE photographs from internship to your blog. For each photograph, include a caption. (For a reminder of how to write a caption, see week 1)
b. Post your two favorite photos of the week. Explain why you selected these photos. What does each mean to you? What does each tell us about your internship? Your growth? Your mentor, business, or organization?
Choose TWO of the following & post a thoughtful response on your blog.
You may do them at any point during the week, but make sure both are done by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday.
Please write at least 100 words per blog post.
1. Has your internship influenced the way you think about school/education? In what way/s? What new courses of study or new major might you pursue?
2. What lessons or experiences at your internship will you bring back to school to help you further improve in your academics?
3. Free Choice: Please take this opportunity to write about something interesting about your internship. If you have had a lingering question or topic you wanted to include in your blog posts but haven't yet, post it now! If not, think of something! Though not required, try to make it entertaining for your readers.
4. Wondering what your fellow interns are doing? Please read and comment on at least TWO other students’ blogs. The link to 2022 student blogs is here. Write your comments, which should be about 50 words/or 2-3 sentences, on your own blog post, and add a link to your classmates’ blogs.
Possible questions to answer: What stands out to you from their experiences? What experiences do you have in common? What contrasts do you see? What questions do you have?
Week Four Visual Requirement– Choose One:
a. Post THREE photographs from internship to your blog. For each photograph, include a caption. (For a reminder of how to write a caption, see week 1)
b. Post your two favorite photos of the week. Explain why you selected these photos. What does each mean to you? What does each tell us about your internship? Your growth? Your mentor, business, or organization?
Week Five
Any of the following prompt responses may be used for your iPOL (Internship Presentation of Learning). Please respond to TWO for this week’s blog posts.
1. Gratitude. Now that you are in your last week of internship, what are you most thankful for regarding your internship experience? Please identify the people, experiences, situations, etc. that helped you feel grateful. What new appreciations have you gained through internship and how did you develop these?
2. Reflections on your internship project. Describe your reflections on your internship project – what went well, what should you have done differently, what stands out to you (address all three of these)?
3. Advice to future interns. What advice would you pass on to future interns? What advice would you give for selecting an internship? What are the most important skills for a student to be successful at his/her internship? How could another student develop these skills prior to beginning an internship?
4.TIK TOK-ish:...but posted on your blog. Use up to 4 (maximum) 15-second long videos that tell something specific or unique about your internship experience. Then write explaining why you created and selected these videos to tell your story.
iPOL Prep- Please carefully review the requirements for your iPOL. Brainstorm and post what you are planning for your iPOL presentation on Friday, May 12th by reflecting on the following:
What are you most excited to share?
What will your presentation cover?
What presentation tools are you planning to use?
Where at your site will you be presenting?
Are you relying on notes, a memorized talk, a powerpoint or something else?
How are you preparing to address questions you might be asked?
*Please make arrangements with both your internship mentor and your HTHI faculty advisor so that they can attend your Internship Presentation of Learning*
Any of the following prompt responses may be used for your iPOL (Internship Presentation of Learning). Please respond to TWO for this week’s blog posts.
1. Gratitude. Now that you are in your last week of internship, what are you most thankful for regarding your internship experience? Please identify the people, experiences, situations, etc. that helped you feel grateful. What new appreciations have you gained through internship and how did you develop these?
2. Reflections on your internship project. Describe your reflections on your internship project – what went well, what should you have done differently, what stands out to you (address all three of these)?
3. Advice to future interns. What advice would you pass on to future interns? What advice would you give for selecting an internship? What are the most important skills for a student to be successful at his/her internship? How could another student develop these skills prior to beginning an internship?
4.TIK TOK-ish:...but posted on your blog. Use up to 4 (maximum) 15-second long videos that tell something specific or unique about your internship experience. Then write explaining why you created and selected these videos to tell your story.
iPOL Prep- Please carefully review the requirements for your iPOL. Brainstorm and post what you are planning for your iPOL presentation on Friday, May 12th by reflecting on the following:
What are you most excited to share?
What will your presentation cover?
What presentation tools are you planning to use?
Where at your site will you be presenting?
Are you relying on notes, a memorized talk, a powerpoint or something else?
How are you preparing to address questions you might be asked?
*Please make arrangements with both your internship mentor and your HTHI faculty advisor so that they can attend your Internship Presentation of Learning*
iPOL Recommendations and Requirements
What is required for scheduling an iPOL?
Be prepared to fully participate in a Q&A (question & answer) session with your panel.
What is required for scheduling an iPOL?
- The iPOL will take place on Friday, May 12th at HTHI.
- We will schedule a time that works best. If possible, it would be wonderful if your mentor could present for your iPOL (we can connect via Zoom if necessary)
- As this is a formal presentation, you should be dressed professionally to present your work.
- An introduction to the organization/site and the general work that takes place there.
- An introduction to the mentor and any additional supporting individuals within the organization/site
- A formal, final presentation of the work you have been doing at your internship, particularly the project you have been working on.
- What did you do?
- What did you learn?
- How could you have improved on the project?
- What new appreciations did you develop while working as an intern? Why?
- How did you make a meaningful contribution to your workplace (what did you do overall? What were your day to day activities/responsibilities)?
Be prepared to fully participate in a Q&A (question & answer) session with your panel.