Internships: A Beneficial Idea for Local use my position as intern to a foreign embassy
Establishments to visit think tank gatherings and state dinners
By: Marielena Dias in Washington, D.C. For this reason, I want to
implement an internship program in our very
In May of 2011, 865 high school seniors own county, so that it can someday grow in
graduated from Matanzas and Flagler Palm ways that will get some of our Flagler students
Coast High School. Many of these students completing internships in other states and
hold future plans of attending an in-state maybe even foreign countries! The benefits of
college such as the University of Central such a program exceed those of any other
Florida or Florida State University. A portion student program. For instance, thanks to the
will enlist in the military, and another section training I received at the Embassy of Portugal, I
of students will enter the work field or possibly now assist the Consulate of Portugal in Orlando
take a year off and enroll in classes in the local by working on documents for Portuguese
community college. Nevertheless, several of nationals. I even recently helped to develop the
these students will decide what they want to do entire organizational system the office uses.
for the rest of their lives based on classes they
attended, the advice of parents, friends and
colleagues, or what will guarantee them the What frustrates me the most about the peers I
most money. These students will have to learn graduated with concerns the lack of
how to put together a resume for employers, opportunities and experience they have when it
design cover letters and develop comes time to pick a major. Recently, I had a
communication skills. But, I would like to conversation with a good friend of mine who
propose an idea that will change the way wants to enter the field of archaeology because
students decide future careers and cultivate of her lifetime appreciation of the work.
their professional skills. However, even though she plans to major in
this field due to her interest in it, she has never
For some, the thought of interns or internships found an opportunity to test this career choice
conjures up the mental image of a 20- or get a feel of what the profession involves. In
something-year-old college student running the future, she may even have to pick a new
around an office building organizing files and major and take more classes if she tries out
delivering steaming cups of coffee. However, archaeology and finds she doesn’t like it.
interns can prove vital to a work establishment Students need more than just an online profile
in need of assistance without the hassle of summary of what a major entails and the future
applying for a job or entering a pay system. In careers available from it. They need hands on
addition, students receive training from the experience to find out if they would like to
organizations and could end up working at the commit the next 40 years or so of their life to
institution they liked most for years to come their intended career goals. I, for example,
upon graduating high school. found my love of political science and
government increase after spending a month
As a bit of a background, I myself decided to and a half in our nation’s capital, working on
work as an intern the summer before my senior the grounds of an embassy. But for some
year at the Embassy of Portugal in Washington, students, the internship can warn them ahead of
D.C. Because I wanted to improve my language time to change their educational path.
speaking skills in that area, the internship
allowed me to practice Portuguese daily. Also,
even when I had no work for the day, I could