HTHI Internship - Students

HTHI Internship

STUDENTS

SECURING AN INTERNSHIP

Use this Brainstorm Activity to build a list of organizations with which you might want to complete your internship.
Create a resume to share with prospective mentors.
Reach out to potential mentors. It is most effective to make a phone call and follow up with a more detailed email.
- Internship Phone & Email Guide
Communicate with prospective mentors as needed via email or phone.
- You may need to provide a resume and/or cover letter. Some mentors want to interview prospective interns. When in doubt, ask what they need from you!
After you receive informal agreement from your mentor to take you on as an intern, send the Internship Commitment Form (available on the Internship Canvas).
- Your mentor must fill out the form first.
- Then, you will complete the same form with a parent/guardian.
Once the form is completed by all parties, complete the Pre-Internship Checklist and get it signed off by your faculty internship supervisor.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES DURING INTERNSHIP

ATTENDANCE

Follow the schedule you created with your mentor & be present at your internship full time (30 hours/week).
- Log your hours on a timesheet and get it signed by your mentor each week.
If you will be absent: Let your mentor know right away! Then email hthipl-frontdesk@hightechhigh.org and your faculty internship supervisor (HTHI teacher).
- Repeated absences will cause you to fall short of the required number of hours, and you will not get credit for your internship.
If you will be tardy: Communicate with your mentor and let them know when expect to arrive. It is unprofessional to show up late and not say anything!
- You may be removed from your internship if punctuality is a recurring problem.
You are responsible for your own transportation.

CONDUCT

Be polite, punctual, and professional at all times.
If things are slow, ask for more responsibility, take initiative, or volunteer to do something helpful. You should never be sitting around on your phone with nothing else to do.
Dress Code: dress professionally and/or to the culture of your internship.
- Different organizations will have different expectations for how employees dress (e.g., mechanic shop vs. law firm vs. vet clinic).
- Be proactive and ask your mentor what is appropriate attire before starting your internship.
Always adhere to the HTHI Student Handbook as well as your host organization's expectations and policies for employees.

COMMUNICATION & SITE VISITS

Communicate with your mentor constantly.
- If you are not directly working with your mentor every day, schedule a regular meeting with them at least twice per week.
- Make sure you both are clear about what you're working on every day, the expectations of the internship program, and your project.
- Your relationship with your mentor will make or break the internship experience. Invest in it!
Maintain regular contact with your faculty internship supervisor (HTHI teacher) throughout the internship.
- Respond to emails within 48 hours. If we do not hear from you for an extended period of time, we will remove you from your internship without further warning. (This is a safety concern!)
- Reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or something seems off about your internship. Don't put this off!
Your faculty supervisor must visit you at your internship site at least twice.
- The purpose of the site visits is to: (1) make sure you are safe and attending your internship as expected; and (2) see what you are learning and doing and check in on your project plan.
- The first site visit will be in week one or two, and must be scheduled before internship begins. The second site visit will be scheduled over email around the middle of internship.

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS

In addition to your responsibilities at your internship site, you will need to complete a set of assignments each week to get credit for your internship.

Refer to the Internship Canvas for each week's assignments (one module per week).
In general, you will have one set of tasks due on Wednesdays and another due on Sundays.
- You must submit a photo of your signed timesheet with your assignment every Sunday.
The assignments include written and video reflections, photos, and discussion board posts & comments.
If you miss an assignment, you will be required to report to campus to complete it. If this happens more than once, you will be removed from your internship.

PROJECT

You will work with your mentor to design and complete a project at your internship site. The project should...

Benefit the host organization in some way.
Showcase what you learned and did during the five weeks of internship.

You will complete the Internship Project Planner as an assignment in week 2. Ideas for projects can be found here.

AFTER INTERNSHIP

When you return to campus after internship, you will participate in reflections and celebrations with your fellow students/interns!

Internship Webpage

Add a page to your digital portfolio to showcase your internship. This should include:

Plenty of photos from your internship
Summaries of your daily tasks, project, and major takeaways from the experience
A "mentor spotlight" section

iPOL

Create and present an Internship Presentation of Learning, or iPOL. The purpose of the iPOL is to share and celebrate what you learned and did during internship, and to highlight your internship project.

iPOL audiences will include HTHI teachers and 10th grade students.
Mentors and families are encouraged to attend iPOLs, but this is not a requirement.

More iPOL information will be posted on the Internship Canvas during the last week of internship!

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