FITCHBURG – This past summer, 10 Sizer School students participated in the Leadership Initiatives Internship Program, working in law offices, laboratories and more, gaining hands-on professional experience.
Participants were Trysta Amoakohene, Makayla Barry-Robinson and Alexander Guy of Fitchburg; Selasi Sampedey, Daphne Gregoire, and Skyler McKenna of Leominster; Adrian Mason of Ashburnham; Bennett Meeker of Gardner; Abigail Munn of Lunenburg; and Caitlin Foley of Phillipston.
According to the Leadership Initiatives Executive Director Marshall Bailly, “We were beyond privileged to work with 10 students from Sizer this year, and these students were constantly some of the most passionate, dedicated, and motivated leaders we worked with all summer.”
Sizer School partners with Leadership Initiatives, a nonprofit agency that offers in-person and online internships to give Sizer students experiential opportunities that will help them reach their future goals.
Caitlin Foley and Bennett Meeker, both seniors, and Alexander Guy, a junior, participated in an Advanced Medical and Public Health Internship. They helped diagnose a real patient and developed a public health campaign. They learned clinical skills in phlebotomy, ultrasound and intubation procedures. Alexander also learned cardiopulmonary resuscitation, suturing, and venipuncture procedures.
“This was a once in a lifetime experience and opportunity,” Bennett said.
The students participated in Leadership Initiatives, traveled to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
“Not only did I have the best roommate, I had an awesome team lead and team to work with throughout the week,” Bennett said. “I also met a lot of other new people – they come from all over America and even outside of the United States. I learned a lot about the world from the people I met.”
Ninth-grade student Daphne Gregoire received a hands-on introduction to public health, security, law and business by consulting with mentors in various fields of work.
Senior Trysta Amoakohene interned with Harden Law PLLC, collaborating with top law experts to prepare an expert witness for trial.
“My favorite part was being able to go into an official courtroom and do actual witness preparation with a real client, asking questions using facts I had obtained from the case,” Trysta said. “We worked under Washington, D.C., attorney, Brandi Harden, who is everything I want to be. The Advanced Law and Trial Internship solidified that after high school I want to study criminal justice and criminology and after college I will go to law school.”
Senior Adrian Pagan and 11th-grade student Skyler McKenna both did a National Security and Intelligence Internship where they helped develop counterterrorism measures with Borno State University in Northern Nigeria, earned grant money to implement their security solutions, and received intelligence and security training from former top officials from the NSA, Pentagon and U.S. military.
Abigail Munn, a Sizer junior, collaborated with a group of premier researchers, professors and professionals in the fields of neuroscience and neuroethics during her neuroscience internship. Abigail synthesized neuroscience knowledge into an ethical analysis for cutting-edge neuroscience research and engaged in interactive, cross-cultural activities and discussions about cognitive neuroscience and neuroethics through a biopsychosocial lens.
Seniors Selasi Sampedey and Makayla Barry-Robinson did an International Leadership and Business Internship collaborating with business and development experts to improve the infrastructure and marketing strategy of a business in the developing world.
“What I enjoyed most about the internship was working with a group of students who were just as determined to help someone create a business as I was,” Makayla said. “I would recommend Leadership Initiatives to whoever wants to challenge themselves and grow doing what they love. And also, for anybody who is still unsure about what they want to do.”
Trysta agreed, saying, “I would recommend trying a [Leadership Initiative] internship because it fully immerses you in that field and can help you decide what you want to do in the future.”
Sizer School is currently accepting applications for grades 7, 8 and 9 for students wishing to transfer to Sizer School for the 2023-2024 school year. Apply now at
www.sizerschool.org.
Source: Leominster Champion, a CherryRoad Media Newspaper.
Original content:
https://www.leominsterchamp.com/ten-sizer-students-take-part-in-leadership-initiative-summer-internships/
