Senior Internship Program

CLICK HERE for the 2024 - 2025 Senior Internship Online Application (DUE 11:59 pm on Monday - April 15, 2024)

One of the weekly assignments for our Senior Interns includes a Discussion Post administrated through our Learning Management System called Schoology.  In week 16 of the internship, we asked the following question and asked each intern to reflect:

 

 

Molly Davis

I had an internship all year and got to leave early everyday. The first semester I had the Allied Health Internship and I got to leave after 6th period everyday and shadow many different places and jobs and got to see a wide variety of health care occupations. I was so happy getting to leave school everyday and getting a break and learning something new and seeing new faces. I know I’d be texting my friends before class started who didn’t have the internship and you could just tell how much the end of the day just dragged on for them. Most of the time my internship didn’t end until hours after school would end and I’d still be happier even if it was later. My internship second semester was even better because I got out even earlier and I actually got to stick around with the same people and not move from place to place and I’d actually be shadowing what I want to do as a future career. Plus there would be days where I’d get to go to lunch somewhere with everyone else because a rep came in trying to sell whatever they were selling. If I hadn’t done the internship program I would constantly feel exhausted and senioritis is hard enough with just being in school half a day and I couldn’t even imagine being there all day long. I seriously don’t know how everyone else does it. I would definitely do this all over again without a question.

Molleigh Henderson

I am beyond glad that I took the opportunity to do the Senior Internship instead of staying at school for the other four periods of the day. I have heard s lot of my friends complaining abut being stressed by having the eight periods, and no doubt in my mind i would be too. Internship adds a little stress but it’s a good stress, the stress you’re going to feel when you get out in the workforce, so I’m glad I got to experience it in a smaller amount than in a huge amount when I finally get to that part of my life. There are definitely some plusses and minuses from doing the Internship. I think the biggest minutes is missing out on some of your friends the second half of the day, and missing some of those moments but the plus side you’re out in your placement making new friends and relationships and gaining some amazing new experiences. I think another thing that is a plus is I’m glad with the fact that if I didn’t do internship I would be stuck in school for four periods of classes I don’t even want to be in, or have anything to do in. The senior internship pushed me to get my license, get out of my comfort zone, and make things happen and I’m so happy I did that. I would for sure chose Internship again in a heartbeat and would recommend it to anyone I could, no mater what career path you’re looking into.

Grace Maust

It was absolutely necessary for me to do this since the field I'm going into requires that I know how to use these drawing and editing programs. I probably would have driven myself crazy being in a classroom setting for that long every day. I know that some of my peers in my art classes that are going into creative fields did not take advantage of this opportunity for various reasons, but I think that they should have done this program because the benefits for art students completely outweigh the benefits of extra classes. It might be different if Ligonier offered specialized classes with a lot of foundation learning and properties of art/design, but we dont lol. I literally have no regrets about my choices in this program because it was completely necessary. I really enjoy learning new things on my own and having freedom for my own purpose of exploring, so this was perfect for me. I do definitely feel that a lot of my friends had to stay in regular classes because that just worked for them/they had to take certain things for their college education, but everyone can benefit from at least a taste of this experience. I just get extremely bored with classroom settings that seem unecessary to me because I like to stand and work and use my hands and listen to music and move around. I loved school but I hated being forced to be still for so long, it's not the answer for gaining experience. I'm really glad my internship worked remotely because Ashley helped me so much and now I have a contact if I end up going to Parsons in the fall.

Ayden Kelley

I believe there were many benefits to being a senior intern. The main benefit was only having 4 scheduled classes. My daily workload was pretty much always the same with little to no homework. It was a pretty big stress relief. Some people could say that an internship is more stressful than going to class, but I think that is completley false. You are the one who chose your internship so it should be something you look forward to doing everyday. From my personal expirence, my internship was not stressful for me at all. It was a very enjoyable expirence where I was able to learn many things that I would have never soaked in if I was in a classroom. Not having to sit in pointless electives for an extra four periods was the best part about the senior internship program. I really don't have any pluses or minuses for my internship. It was a well rounded good expirence. If I had to do it all over again I definitley would it was an eye opeing expirence.

Erika Moore

I enjoyed leaving every day starting the 2nd semester and going to my internship placement. I felt like I had more freedom than just being stuck at the high school for 8 periods; being forced to take classes that I didn't need. I feel bad for my peers who didn't take advantage of the Senior Internship Program. For example, they may think they want to go into engineering and if they had taken apart of the senior internship, they may have hated the engineering route. The internship is a way of finalizing your college major and making you realize "Yes! This is the field I want to pursue in my future. This is a great fit for me!" Education isn't about what makes the most money, it's about what you most enjoy. I would rather make less money than be miserable getting up and going to work every day. The pluses of the internship program are: leaving school early, not being forced to take unnecessary classes, eat lunch at Sheetz/Subway if you are sick of packing, getting real-life experience(you can't beat this!). I don't find any cons to the internship program. If I could, I would do it all over again.

Jane Garver

I think my experience with the internship was so much better than staying in a regular class room all day. I would have my friends come up to me all the time and tell me how jealous they were that I got to leave so early in the day. I also think I learned so much more at my internship than I ever could of in a regular class room. Actually being in the work environment and being around people taught me skills like adabtability and organizational skills that I would of never learned in a class room setting. I would absolutely do it all over again.

Maria Carney

I am glad that I did the internship program. I enjoyed getting to leave early every day. I have learned a lot from my internship and got to meet a lot of new people. For my peers that did not do the internship program, I feel like they are definitely more stressed out because they have four other classes they have to worry about. For me if I did not do the internship program I would have taken four classes I don’t need to graduate and would be more stressed out. If I had the choice to do it all over again I would. It has been a great experience.

Madison Pierce

I think that partaking in the internship was so much better than being in school for 8 periods. I felt that I wasted a lot of time in school and my internship was a much better use of that time. Most of my friends who stayed in school all day took filler classes like multiple gym classes or ceramics which they really didn't care about. Despite leaving school early I felt a lot busier and I little overwhelmed by the whole situation. I would have to stay longer than the school day to get my hours in because I had to stay for a lot of seminar club meetings. I also had sports, a job, and other extracurriculars to attend so it was a little stressful at times. I think the experience outweighed the downsides though.

Michael Petrof

The internship program provided me with real world experiences that would be difficult if not impossible to replicate in a classroom setting. I was so happy to leave the school after 4th period. It allowed me to accomplish thing that staying in school for the rest of the day didn't. I felt like having the rest of the day I opened up opportunities for me to learn more. I feel like it was a better use of my time to get my requirements out of the way and get out of school. I do not understand why students especially seniors should waste their time with classes that do not help them graduate or even worse ones that they not interested in.

Thomas Dowden

Being in the internship is a huge relief senior year. The days go by a lot faster and you feel like you are actually doing something useful with your time. Instead of filling my schedule with random classes, I get to spend my time learning and doing something I am really interested in. I would definitely do it all over again

Christian Jablonski

Besides playing sports I think that senior internship taught me the most from my whole high school experience. There is absolutely nothing I would change about my internship experience and whenever I look back on it I will be a positive outlook. I wish I could've spent more time there in person but other then that I  would recommend this program to everyone.

Damiana Bradley-Slagle

Leaving everyday around 10:30 was very stress relieving. All I needed to do each day was make it through 4 periods and then I could put the stress of those classes out of my mind for 3-5 hours without feeling guilty because my internship provided me with something that was necessary for me to do, but didn’t require any stress. Also, since my car wasn’t working at the time, I got to walk to the library from the school and that offered me a nice break from everything as well. The only drawback from participating in the internship was the fact that I couldn’t fit all of the classes I wanted to take into my schedule. I had been trying to take Chem 2 since last year and both times it didn’t fit in my schedule... so I was a little disappointed about that. Otherwise, the internship provided me with so many opportunities that I am very grateful for. Probably the biggest benefit was becoming acquainted with Dr. Lambert because she offers a lot of connections at my future college that I wouldn’t otherwise have. She has even asked me to work with her in the future on research projects following the internship if I would be interested. Looking back on all that i have experienced, I would not have changed my decision to participate in the senior internship.

Brooke Hughes

I would definitely do my internship all over again. I loved every minute of it, all of my mentors were very helpful and super sweet. It also helped me get a glimpse of what a full day as a physical therapist looked like. Leaving school early was another plus.

Megan Betz

I benefited from being in the program because I was happy to leave and enjoyed what I was doing. If i would've stayed at school all 8 periods i actually would've gone crazy, I only needed 2 more classes to graduate and the rest of my classes would have not mattered to me. The pluses are I got to leave school and work on things I enjoyed. The minuses would just be that I didn't get to see my friends as much because I was leaving so I didn't have classes with them and I didn't see them in the halls. However, I would definetely do it all over again.

Katie Lawson

Having four scheduled periods and my internship the rest of the day made school so much better. Instead of having filler classes for the second half of the day that I would not have cared about, I was able to leave and actually learn things that I cared about and are valuable. I am so glad that I participated in the Internship Program, even if it was sometimes stressful to find time to get all of my hours.

Gabriel Gonda

Comparing the internship period in high school to the period before makes things clear to me. Before the internship I could work in school and complete whatever I needed to and still get great grades. But it didn’t feel necessary and like a waste of my time. I learned stuff but the knowledge didn’t last. Whereas my internship has ignited a passion within me and allowed me to figure out what I wanted to do with my future or at least gave me a good idea. The knowledge I gained from my internship is also lasting. I am able to spot my internship in action in real life and what information from news is likely false as long as I hear something related to cyber security. Then internship has given me an awareness that other classes rarely are able to. I would do the internship all over again if I could.

Dunavin Graham

When comparing a normal school day to one during internship there was so many more positives during internship. The work load wasn’t a lot so it was much easier to do work and understand it more. Along with this I would actually look forward to coming to school cause I went to do something I liked and would help me in my career. And if I had the opportunity again I would 100% take it because it made school actually bearable to get up and go to knowing I basically was only in a classroom for half of the day.

Miranda Palmer

I feel like my experience getting to leave for half the day made my high school experience bearable if not even a little bit fun. I actually looked forward to going to school because the first 4 periods went pretty quickly. Some of my friends absolutely hated school and I related in the first semester. I would 110% recommend it. Sometimes when I was leaving I would hear underclassmen saying 'how are all of these seniors leaving during lunch" and I was like DO AN INTERNSHIP!!!!!!! However, one negative is that I didn't have time to work on homework or ask teachers for help during lunch unless I stayed late which would affect my internship. But, overall I wouldn't let that discourage a future intern.

Izabella Wentzel

In all honesty, there is no guarantee that I would have survived my senior year if I had to be in school for 8 hours sitiing through mindnumbing classes that would have no benefit to my future. This may sound brutal but it is true. I took most of the classes that are important to my degree and since my internship revolved around the government, I got to learn things far beyond what I have learned in the classroom. The freedom I received with my internship was so refreshing and made me feel like an active member of the workforce. Additionally, I got the opportuinty to network and meet new people. As the saying goes, "It's not what you know, it's who you know." I found this true with my internship because I made connections with people I would not have been able to do if I had not done this internship. Furthermore, I wasn't stressing over grades as much because the internship was not difficult to receieve good grades. As opposed to staying up all night studying for a test, I got to work hard on something I actually care about. Furthermore, I got to explore an area of interest that I didn't have the opportunity to do in the classroom. Some of the downfalls of my internship include the following: less time with friends, inability to take Chemisrty II, and I was spending a lot of money on food and coffee. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed my internship. I loved being able to go to Abigail's or the library and work hard to do something that actually makes a difference in my community. Without a doubt, I would do it all over again and if I had the opporunity to, I would do it even better!

Jameson Brown

Compared to the rest of my peers, I feel that my Internship made me enjoy my school experience more because it gave me something to look forward to. Besides getting to leave the actual school building, I started to look forward to getting to do something that was somewhat related to what I wanted to do, even if it was for a short period of time. I feel that staying on our school's campus and going through the daily grind would have caused my day to become very slow and uneventful, which was happening to most of my peers. I would do it all over again.

Alex Torrance

I would absolutely do my internship all over again. It was such a valuable experience getting to do something like that so soon. I feel like I learned more things that will apply to my future rather than just math formulas I have memorized in my head. You can’t learn much more than the real world experience that I got from my internship.

Abigail Horner

I feel leaving early for my internship helped me tremendously in school. It kept me excited and motivated everyday. Honestly if I were stuck in school for 8 periods a day I probably would've tried to drop out. School was an absolute drag for the entire first semester but internship made me look forward to coming to school and allowed me to see and experience things like never before.

Click here for a Trib Live article written that features Ligonier Valley Senior Interns in 2017 (first year of the program).  We are now entering our 6th year with the class of 2022 seniors. 

Seniors Grace Maust, Gabe Gonda, and Damiana Bradley-Slagle had very fullfilling and unique Senior Internships during the Spring Semester of 2020. Watch a Zoom Meeting with Grace, Gabe, and Damiana as they explain their experiences and how geography, content, and even a virus did not stop the incredible learning that has transpired.

 

Grace worked with a Graphic Design/Illustrator mentor from New York City, Gabe worked with a Cyber Security firm based out of Tampa, Florida, and Damiana worked with Professor Dr. Lambert from Chatham University.

 

Sit back and watch these interns talk to Ligonier Valley School District representatives: Superintendent - Dr. Christine Oldham, Principal - Mr. Tim Kantor, Guidance Counselor - Mrs. Alyssa Piemme, Guidance Counselor - Mrs. Denise Giron, and Senior Internship Coordinators/Teachers - Mr. Martin Hickey and Mr. Corey Turcheck.

 

 

Senior Internship Placement Agreement for Businesses and Organizations

Listed below are the general responsibilities required of the placement site mentor/supervisor involved with the Ligonier Valley Senior Internship Program.

Site Mentor/Supervisor Will:

• Host an intern for at least a nine week period fulfilling 15 hours of service a week. Often internships extend for eighteen weeks.
• Provide meaningful activities and experiences that meet the educational interests of the intern.
• Agree to provide supervision for the intern while at the placement site. 
• Provide necessary instruction applicable to the specific placement site including safety rules, dress codes, parking, confidentiality concerns and professionalism.
• Provide regular feedback to the student throughout the placement period.
• Participate in consultations with school officials.
• Assist with the evaluation of the intern’s performance.
• Notify school officials with concerns and problems.