ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania – Hundreds of Allentown youth spent the summer earning money and learning job skills that will serve them well after they graduate from high school.

This is the second summer that the Allentown School District has offered high school students a paid internship program that places them in jobs throughout the district and city.

Since the program began last year, nearly 400 ASD students have completed internships. As of mid-July, 240 students were working in the district or at local businesses and organizations.

The program is offered year-round. During the summer, students can work 30 hours per week and during the school year, up to 10 hours per week. Students earn $15 per hour from their internships – some paid by partner organizations and others by ASD.

Deb Accurso, former ASD director of college and career preparation, said the goal of the internship program is to “provide a continuum of work experiences that help students effectively plan for their post-college opportunities.”

Accurso spoke to LehighValleyNews.com about the internship program in July before she resigned this month. Superintendent Carol Birks said the future of the district’s internship program will not be affected by the resignation.

Birks started the program after teenagers on her student council told her they were looking for a way to make money.

“We just said we wanted to make money, and then at some point we said, ‘It would be great to work for our schools,'” said Theodore Solomon, a rising senior in Building 21. “We just thought this would be a great opportunity.”

Theodore, 17, has been working as an intern in the communications department of the ASD central administration for about a year.

Decency

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Allentown School District

Communications interns learned how to take photos at ASD events and how to use social media strategies when posting the photos online to promote the district. They also learned about event planning by shadowing ASD staff as they organize events, such as the annual graduation ceremony that welcomes teachers back to school each August.

Kimberly Arias, a rising senior in Building 21, is also interning in the communications department. Kimberly, 17, said the internship has improved her public speaking and interaction skills. She is also more interested in pursuing a career in communications, she said.

Before her internship, Kimberly had worked exclusively in the fast food industry. She says the ASD internship program gave her a change.

“It’s definitely a lot more fun, a lot less stressful and just more exciting,” she said.

Kayla Lopez, a rising 12th grader at Allen High School, interned at Roosevelt Elementary School this summer. She spent the mornings working with students in the school’s summer program and the afternoons helping with office work.

Kayla, 17, said she enjoys working with younger students and that her internship experiences have made her think about future careers that involve working with children.

“It’s an opportunity to figure out what you want to do in life because (the internship) gives you the push and motivation to actually do something, especially in the summer,” she said.

Kayla also enjoyed getting to know the other high school interns at Roosevelt, she said.

Jenny Roberts

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LehighValleyNews.com

“I find it refreshing to meet new people instead of sticking to your normal circle of friends and then understand what they are like and what kind of personality they have,” she said.

Some students have completed internships throughout the city, for example at the Da Vinci Science Center.

Abdiel Paredes, a rising 12th grader at Dieruff High School, was one of the few youths housed at the science center this summer, helping with the museum’s summer camp for younger children.

“Overall, it’s a new experience. I’ve never worked in a science center before,” said 17-year-old Abdiel. “I can see children interacting and having fun.”

These interns helped with Da Vinci’s outreach programs at local schools. They also had the opportunity to oversee various museum departments, such as the animal care team that cares for the animals on display.

Sarah Alexander, STEAM Career Pathways coordinator at Da Vinci, said she tries to expose interns to as many museum departments as possible, giving them experiences that can help sharpen the skills they need for their future employment, whatever it may be.

“We encourage the overall development of students and teach them that while they need skills like teamwork, communication and collaboration in their internship,” she says, “they will need them everywhere.”