Over the summer of 2024, members of the class of 2025 participated in a variety of internships in order to experience fields of study that interested them and to help begin making decisions about their future careers.
A wide variety of companies and organizations from across Georgia hosted the internships, and the interns ventured into fields such as pediatrics, dentistry, law, theater, education, veterinary sciences, communications, and photography for the first time.
The thirty-five interns applied for their internships and practiced job interview skills with the organizations that accepted them. Through interacting with different types of people and demographics and stepping out of their comfort zones, students cited their experiences as valuable towards determining their future studies in college and possible career paths for the rest of their lives.
The internships also gave them a chance to learn about the requirements of a real-world career, such as dressing according to the dress code and arriving to work consistently on time.
Camille Gipson interned with the Georgia Office of the Attorney General. “I completed tasks like data entry and data collection for a Valdosta gang prosecution meeting. I also sat in on Georgia Supreme Court and Court of Appeals oral arguments and spoke with Medicaid fraud, consumer protection, white collar crimes, and public relations teams,” she said. “I learned I definitely want to become a lawyer.”
Mia Abujawdeh worked with Catholic Charities of Atlanta to evaluate if a career in immigration law would be right for her. “I worked with green card applications primarily, so being able to meet the people I filed applications for was amazing. It helped me put together everything and feel connected to all the people I crossed paths with,” Mia said.
“I got to shadow consultations and meetings, so I was able to hear so many languages and stories from people all over the world. The experience helped me solidify my future plans of immigration law,” Mia said.
Brook Astil interned with Wieuca Animal Clinic in Sandy Springs. “I worked on various tasks like shadowing surgeries in which tumors were removed, neutering, spaying, dental extractions, and all,” Brook said. “I also sampled dog and cat excrements and bodily fluids and ran them through the lab, got to watch the annual physical exams for the pets, and got to pet a lot of dogs and cats.”
Overall, the internship program was a huge success that helped seniors begin to find their future paths.
