11th Grade Internship
"Adult World Connection" is one of High Tech High's goals for its students. We provide connections to the adult world for students at every grade level, but it gets really serious in Junior Year: Juniors aren't just "connected" to the adult world - for five weeks, they're part of it, working full-time as an intern in a professional organization (past internships have ranged from architecture firms, recording studios, and internet startups to biology labs, nonprofits, and even other schools!). These internships aren't just about filing papers and making coffee. Working with an on-site mentor, every student designs and completes a personal project whose product will be of tangible benefit to the company.
Logistics
2025 Internship dates: In 2025, Internships last for five weeks from Monday, May 5th to Friday, June 6th (with Internship Presentations of Learning taking place during the week of June 2nd - 6th).
Insurance: Interns are covered by HTH liability insurance while on-site or participating in any activity related to their internship as long as they work in San Diego County.
Pay: Internships are unpaid. Interns may be paid after internship hours, after school, or in the summer at mentor's discretion. Donations are accepted to the program for transportation and other expenses.
Transportation: Transportation will be provided either by the student’s own car, public transportation, or a parent.
Junior Assignment
Here's what you need to get done in order to get credit for your internship:
HOURS: Work for the equivalent of five weeks, five days a week, six hours a day. (5 thirty-hour-work weeks)
PROJECT: Design (with mentor) and complete a project that benefits the organization for which you are working.
BLOGS: Complete your internship blog assignments on time (including commenting on your peers' blog posts).
PHOTO ESSAY: Complete your Photo Essay.
POLS (Presentation of Learning): Lead two POLS. One at your internship site and one on the HTHNC campus.
Featured Junior Internship Projects
Project 1
For my internship, I really wanted to focus on Graphic Design. I was super excited to see that Ruth-Ann was taking interns at the gallery in this field, so I hopped on board. The graphic design we are doing is more marketing-based, and it involves developing a TikTok account for the gallery. I am also here with a senior, Saba, and together we are creating video advertisements for the artists featured in the gallery. Just recently, one of the most showcased artists at Exclusive Collections, Michael Flohr, came in to paint live and we were able to make a plethora of awesome videos with him. We will continue to do this in the coming weeks but there are still more possibilities to endeavor. The main skill needed to be successful in this project is marketing, and that takes immense research, general knowledge, dedication, sociability, and awareness. A lot of the support we are receiving is coming from the amazing staff members that work at ECG. They are super enthusiastic about having a TikTok page for the gallery and are willing to help us out wherever necessary!
Project 2
This internship has helped me decide what I want my college and career pathway to look like. My dream has always been to work with animals, but I never knew in what field. Being at Helen Woodward has helped me see that I love doing... photography with the animals and learning all about them. From this internship I learned what I like and dislike in a work environment. I enjoy being able to walk around, take photos and videos, and see all the different aspects of the center in motion. Something I now know I dislike in a work environment is sitting at a desk most of the day. When sitting at the desk I get distracted very easily and have a hard time staying focused on what i'm working on. Interning at Helen Woodward has greatly impacted my views on my career pathways. I came into this internship for a sense of direction, not knowing what I wanted to do for a career in the future. Although I have not found my dream career yet, this internship helped me find things I do and do not enjoy. I did enjoy filming clips and putting videos together for reels, as well as collecting information to write about an animal’s story. I was not too fond of sitting in an office because I am used to moving every hour at school, I know now being up and moving helps me stay concentrated and involved with my work.
Project 3
I am learning more about a future career I am interested in...Veterinary Science. This provides knowledge that will help me with classes I will need to take in the future. This internship is also helping me get a feel for the environment that the workforce displays mentally and physically. The skills I have been able to pick up from this internship are physical ones like vaccines, blood smears, etc. However, learning the mental skills were the big lesson for me. Seeing how much teamwork and communication means in this field was something I wanted to learn for myself. The quality I want to develop for myself is teamwork, seeing how well the doctors and nurses interact with each other in high-stress situations shows how valuable teamwork is. This opportunity shows exactly what happens in this field. It can solidify what role or position I would want to take on in the future.