This past April iCouldBe was selected to host two high school interns who applied to the AIME Summer Internship Program in California. For this internship program students applied, were interviewed and the students accepted earned scholarships and course credits for their efforts. For six weeks interns Rachel and Ahmed joined our team to focus on mentor recruitment, social media and a full curricular revision. From the start it was our intention to involve Rachel and Ahmed in the organizations’ most rigorous projects and to avoid assigning them basic administrative duties. To their great credit, Ahmed and Rachel did not disappoint! Their work ethic, communications and networking skills surpassed our expectations and their work was of the highest quality and a tremendous help. We feel so fortunate for their service to iCouldBe and wish them success as they enter their senior year in high school. We know they will both go on to do great things for many years to come.
Meet Rachel
My Internship Experience:
Hi, my name is Rachel and I am a rising senior in high school. I was looking for an internship opportunity for the summer and saw that my high school was offering business opportunities. So I went through the application and interview process and was accepted into the program. Then I was matched with iCouldBe through the program because they saw my interests included networking and communicating with people.
Through my internship at iCouldBe, I was able to learn more about the mentor/mentee relationship and why it’s important to have one. Because iCouldBe is located on the other side of the country for me, I have been working at home, contacting the staff through emails and calls. Although I have been working remotely, there are many advantages and flexibility that comes with this privilege.
This internship experience was meaningful because I was able to learn more about myself and I was also able to gain work experience inside a company. I was able to work on skills like collaboration and communication as I still had to work with other people despite being remote. There were multiple tasks where my partner and I had to rely on each other for information and data. I have had a great time interning for iCouldBe, whether it has been going through the iCouldBe curriculum, attending webinars, or analyzing survey results.
Why iCouldBe Matters:
iCouldBe is a program that not only emphasizes mentor and mentee relationships, but also aids in planning students’ futures. It’s a program that I would recommend for all high schools, because all students can benefit from the service that it provides. At my high school, everyone graduates and goes to college, but often we are confused with our goals and plans for the future. iCouldBe is an outlet that can help students find their passions and dreams. There are also helpful tips like writing cover letters and building resumes. I believe that it would benefit everyone and help create a stronger base for a successful career and life!
Meet Ahmed
My Internship Experience:
Hello, my name is Ahmed and I am interning with iCouldBe.org. The experience from this internship has been amazing. From the beginning, I had the chance to further develop my soft skills and other skills that I’ll need for any job. Reaching out for support, communication and collaboration have been the most important things throughout this internship.
The most important factor of this internship was that I was treated as an adult, not just an intern. Everyone at iCouldBe cared about my opinion and reviewed my feedback which made me feel like I am working with professionals and not only adults who are trying to make interns work. It was my pleasure working with such professional people that made me feel that I can be important and can create change anywhere I go. Thank you iCouldBe staff.
Why iCouldBe Matters:
Mentoring in high schools is the most needed thing right now. High school teaches us a lot of things but not about our future. A mentoring program in every school would be able to help students be independent in life after school. We need mentoring programs like iCouldBe.
I think that my school needs a program like iCouldBe because there are not enough counselors in the school to help everyone. With iCouldBe, students would have the opportunity to learn about interests and hobbies. The fear of failure after high school is dangerous and mentoring is the way to get past that fear.
iCouldBe can help with much more. I know top students who have the grades, but they don’t know what they want to do after high school. Really smart students are lost in all the choices after graduation. iCouldBe helps improve perspective and thoughts about life after high school.
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