Fun and Worthwhile Summers
by Joan Olden

It's 9:00am in the heart of the fashion district and a young woman is replacing antique-like beaded jewelry back into their velvet-lined cases that she had removed them from the night before. In the back of the showroom, several women meticulously string beads, pulled from stacks of bead boxes, into necklaces that will eventually make their way to the racks of Bloomingdale's, Lane Bryant, and Limited Express. She is getting ready to start a full day of planning, scheduling, organizing, and phoning buyers about their yearly buying trip to New York at the end of the summer. It is an interesting world in which to delve, one that the young woman's grandfather had belonged to back in Japan. Her summer is spent learning about what it is like to work in the real world, in a real job, in a real business — an experience that cannot be equaled through any other means. Her experience: an internship with an established jewelry dealer in located deep within the jewelry district in New York City.

Internships signify many things to different people — no pay, long hours, grueling work for little reward — only so that one can get a jumpstart on a career path and make a few networking contacts. But not so for the Horace Mann students and employers who embark together on summer internship programs that strive to be positive and mutually rewarding experiences. For one, current seniors and college-age graduates are eligible for the available work, when typically it is sophomores and juniors in college who obtain internships. Secondly, the interns work for a group of Horace Mann parents, graduates, and friends of the school, who are interested in connecting with the school and its students in this unique way.

Established in 1995, the program, run through the Alumni House and Development Office, has grown since its inception. In the first summer, about fifty jobs from forty employers were offered. This past summer one hundred fifty-nine jobs from sixty-eight employers were offered and the number of jobs is expected to grow next year. The jewelry business was just one of a varied number of fields in which internships were offered. Other students had the chance to explore the worlds of finance, art, theater, healthcare, publishing, and more. Says one enthusiastic internship provider and parent of two Horace Mann students, Ellen Breslow, a senior vice president at Salomon Smith Barney: "Chondita was my seventh intern in four years and you cannot imagine how I look forward to welcoming new interns each year. It is wonderful to provide an opportunity for a young person who is eager to have new experiences and who wants to further his or her horizons in the financial field. Not only do I benefit from the intern's experience of working with me, but she goes away with fresh ideas about how to map out her future career." In June, Chondita Chatterjee '99, who just entered Harvard as a freshman, began work on various projects with a substantial amount of autonomy and decision-making ability. While a career in the medical profession is what Chondita has in mind for herself, the financial world opened up a whole other set of opportunities to her. As Chondita says herself, "I spent my days researching, writing and editing marketing materials, brainstorming, and doing whatever else I was assigned — I could not have asked for more."

Gen Art, a not-for-profit arts management and special events organization, run by executive director Ian Gerard '86, hosted several interns again this summer. 1998 was Ian's first experience with an intern from Horace Mann and it proved so successful that this year he hosted three students. One of the interns, Christine Mok '98 felt that this was her last opportunity to do something "fun" for the summer before pursuing work in the legal arena. To her, working in the film and fashion field, a far cry from her eventual path into law, was invaluable because she obtained general life skills that will help her in whatever career she chooses. She was in contact with a diverse group of people ranging from superstars to runway models, which allowed her to be creative in both the production and research aspects of her internship but also in dealing with the various talents. The vibrancy, intelligence, and self-motivation of these young individuals equally rewarded Ian.

Alex Rich '99 is currently in his freshman year at Dartmouth. He went to school just a few months ago but not before he did an internship working for the Percent for Art Program at the Department of Cultural Affairs under the guidance of Cathie Behrend, a friend of Horace Mann. The Percent for Art Program is a government agency that commissions artists from around the world to create art for city building projects. Of his work this summer, Alex feels that "it has been an extremely valuable experience. I have always been fascinated by the arts, whether it is my own artwork or studying art history. With Percent for Art, I was working with art-in-progress and the administration that occurs alongside it. Every aspect of the experience will help me in the future, no matter what I choose to pursue. The working environment, the communications with artists, the minute taking at meetings — all will, without a doubt, come in handy."

One of the most eye-opening aspects of the internship for Alex was, as he says, "the extensive process that goes into running a program such as Percent for Art. As a member of the public, I have seen public art, admired it, and moved along. I was stunned to see that most projects take years upon years to get to the creation stages."

The commonality that exists between intern and supervisor and among internships is that all benefit from the experience. The eagerness of the interns impress and motivate the employers to provide worthwhile work, projects, and responsibilities and the commitment on the part of employers helps interns to build life and career skills while allowing them to learn about particular fields. The internship program is worthy of attention and celebration so that it can continue to grow and to help students gain perspective on potential career opportunities.

Joan Olden has been the parent co-coordinator of the Summer Internship/Job Program since 1996; the program was started in 1995. For the 1999-2000 school year, she will coordinate the program along with staff in the Alumni House and Development Office.

This article is reprinted from the fall 1999 issue of Horace Mann, page 24.


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