Fifty-five students at Mount Vernon High School were able to participate in internship programs during the recently completed January Term at Mount Vernon Schools.
Kevin Murray, business education teacher, said that students had internships at Cedar Rapids, Mount Vernon and other businesses in the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids corridor. Many businesses hosted more than one student for an internship opportunity.
“We offer the class to juniors and seniors, mainly due to transportation issues,” Murray said. “We have many students interested in medical fields, and some of those opportunities require that a student be 18 years of age.”
Murray said he and the other teachers in business education classes, Shawn Voigt and Brandi Viter-Pitlik, do a lot of work behind the scenes between October and December to help line up places for students during the J-Term.
“It is very rewarding to see our students in the workplace,” Murray said. “We get to hear their stories and share in their successes. The enjoyment comes when we see them and have conversations with the students and hosts, and see the impact that this experience has on every one of them. This is why we try to post each and every student experience on social media. It has a large impact on our students and the surrounding communities.”
Murray said the goal for the students in the program is to gain experience in a field that interests them.
“When we go out on visits, we normally ask a few questions about their goals for this internship,” Murray said. “Other items of interest are skills/tasks they are taking part in, networking, and the educational outcomes, such as how has this affected their plans for the future? Or what knowledge and employability skills are needed that they have not considered?”
Students definitely see the benefits of this program.
Kaylie Kelchen was an intern at White Tree Bakery this year. Last year, she had worked at an office job, and she realized that was definitely not the right environment for her.
“I really loved the ability to learn at a small business shop, as it highlighted things an entrepreneur might need to know and learn,” Kelchen said.
She loved the hands on nature of her internship, getting to help make items like cookies and cakes alongside owner Jen Juhl for the shop.
“I learned a lot about what it takes to run your own small business and we even took a day just to make cakes for fun,” Kelchen said.
Gabe Fairchild had the opportunity to look at two different businesses as part of his internship experience. He did his first week with Mount Vernon Bank and Trust learning about finance, and his second week at Cushman and Wakefiled Realty company.
Mount Vernon Bank and Trust helped him learn even more about finance and office jobs.
Fairchild said the experience with Gabe Golberg at Cushman and Wakefield helped him know what classes or focus he should look into at college if realty was what he wanted to major in.
“That was really helpful, as there wasn’t a designated field for just being a realtor,” Fairchild said. “We spoke about the connections I should be making as well.”
Fairchild said he was upset that internship was cut short due to the winter weather, but still gained a lot out of it.
Rebecca Conrad was an intern at the Catherine McCauley Center in Cedar Rapids.
“I’ve known since my year as a study abroad student in Spain that I wanted to do something in the social work field, and this internship gave a lot of guidance to what you would do in a foreign exchange program.”
She learned a lot about the immigration populations in Cedar Rapids and what case workers do to help them and their communities.
“This is a very special program that Mount Vernon offers that not a lot of schools are offering,” Conrad said. “It helps students gain insights into careers or professions before they leave high school, and is something I encourage other juniors and seniors to look into.”
Conrad commended the business teachers who helped with the program as well.
Lillian Bishop had an internship at Stony Point Meadows in Cedar Rapids. She said she was hoping to get into a career with hospitality or hotel management, and that working at the retirement home was close to those aspirations.
“I was able to shadow the director of the center to see all they did, as well as shadow the activities director on the different activities they hold for residents,” Bishop said. “It wasn’t directly hotel management, but helped me see that is a job I could see myself doing as well.”
Bishop said it was a really awesome experience and an opportunity to learn things she wouldn’t have been able to learn in a classroom setting.
“The feedback from employers is welcoming,” Murray said. “They truly enjoy having students in their place of business. Many ask how we started the program, and wish that this was an opportunity that they had been given, or their own children had. Mainly, the feedback is focused on the opportunity our students have to be able to get a snapshot of what a particular occupation looks like prior to going off to college. The importance of the experience, positive or negative, can have a big impact on their future plans.”
Rebecca Conrad did an internship at the Catherine McCauley Center in Cedar Rapids, focused on social work. She worked with the social workers helping refgee populations.