Spotlight on Students
A Shining Star with a Bright Future
Published in August 2011 E-Newsletter
Meet Andrew Williams, valedictorian of his senior class at the High School of Sports Management and incoming freshmen at Binghamton University this fall, where he will be studying business and marketing.
When Andrew entered the Futures and Options Internship Program this past May he had already achieved academic success and was looking for a way to apply his skills and get real world work experience to help him make a decision on what major to pursue.
We interviewed Andrew to get his take on being an intern at Great Eastern Energy, a premier energy provider to the New York metropolitan area:
What have you gained from your Futures and Options internship? I have gained valuable insight into the business world and what it takes to run a business. Also how to use many computer programs as well as office equipment. I am starting to understand how the energy business works and have gained connections in the industry through my internship.
Tell us about your supervisor and how they helped you to learn and do your best? My supervisor is highly knowledgeable in what he does and helps me to understand a lot of the technical terms associated with the business. He takes time to explain every sheet of paper that passes in front of me including bills and contracts. He's also a very funny guy.
Has Futures and Options helped you figure out a career path? Futures and Options has helped me to define a career path by placing me in a setting that allows me to learn more and more about it every day.
How will you use what you have learned through your internship and the Futures and Options workshops as you go on to college and a career? Futures and Options' workshops and my experience during my internship have definitely helped me to open up and be more outgoing which was one of my major character flaws. They have both taught me a lot about networking and communicating with people which is very important to the field I plan on studying. I will use what I have learned in both to be the best I can be as I move on to higher education and a career.
We wish Andrew and all of our graduating seniors the best of luck as they enter college this fall! For more information on the Futures and Options Internship Program, please contact please contact Matt Ellis or Joanna Munoz at 212-601-0002 or mellis@futuresandoptions.org, jmunoz@futuresandoptions.org.
Teens Speak Out on Internships
Published in March 2010 E-Newsletter
The Futures and Options Pre-Internship Program, which annually serves 100 middle and high school teens, provides career readiness training to students who have not yet acquired the skill level or age to be placed in internship positions – an often neglected demographic of youth.
Each term two Pre-Internship Program alumni are hired as paid interns and assist our program's lead coordinator, Stefanie Jones, in planning the activities as well as have an opportunity to model and apply the skills they learned in the program.
After having successfully completed the Pre-Internship Program, Claymont Sancho, a sophomore at George Westinghouse High School, and Morolake Thompson, a senior at Health Professions and Human Services High School, assisted the Pre-Internship Program as interns this past fall. In addition to their responsibilities as assistants, the interns also take part in our Internship Program's career readiness workshops and enrichment activities.
Interns Morolake Thompson and Claymont Sancho
Claymont and Morolake share their feedback on the internship experience:
Morolake, what impact did your experience as a Futures and Options intern have on you?
"As a Futures and Options intern, I became better skilled in time management and learned to take initiative. As a student, balancing several extra-curricular activities at once, every minute became significant and leisure was precious."
Claymont, what was helpful to you from your experience as an intern?
"Three things I learned were:
1. Communication: Learning that you have to call and let people know if you are going to be late.
2. Get Sleep: So you are ready to work with energy.
3. Active Listening: Listen to tasks so you understand the directions and ask questions."
Morolake, what advice would you give to teens looking for a job?
"I would advise teens in search of a job to first create a list of things they are good at and another of things they enjoy doing. In creating this list, they will not only learn more about themselves but also have a basic idea on what types of jobs they would not only enjoy doing, but carry out successfully."
Claymont, how did you feel about your supervisor and how did they help you to learn and do your best?
"Stefanie was a supportive boss, who helped me fix mistakes, practice presentations, and prepare for each workshop."
Morolake, would you recommend the program to other students?
"I would very much recommend the program to other students because of the basic on-the-job skills every student needs. As a student, finding employment is difficult because of lack of experience. As a result of the internship opportunity created especially for students by Futures and Options, teens have the opportunity to prove they are mature and skilled enough to handle the challenge of employment."
Claymont, how about your advice?
I would tell kids to take the job seriously right from the start and not to underestimate how important you are to the team.
Claymont and Morolake also created a job resource guide for teens who are looking for an internship. You can download the guide here.
