Building Tomorrow’s Workforce by Building Connections Today
It’s a common question for any young person – “What do you want to be when you grow up?” But the reality is that the standard high school curriculum does not always give students the information they need to answer this question with confidence. That’s why Nazareth Prep reimagines the way we prepare our students for post-graduate life. We collaborate with top employers in the region to help students gain hands-on experience in the workforce, feel better prepared to pursue post-graduate pathways, and build professional networks.
A crucial aspect of the Internship Program’s success is helping students identify their strengths and figure out what is important to them in a future career. Nazareth Prep students are matched to an internship assignment each school year based on their strengths and interests. Each student is paired with a faculty member who serves as their Internship Manager and guides them throughout the process from “Match Day” to weekly Internship days to reflecting on what they learned at the end of the year.
Senior Ariana McPherson has learned a lot about herself through the Internship Program. Her internships have taken place at companies in widely varied industries, helping her to identify areas of interest and make educated decisions when planning for her life after high school. It was her sophomore internship at Concordia Villas at St. Joseph that helped Ariana choose a post-secondary path in the medical field. “It was humbling, gratifying and so inspirational learning medical protocol, working with the nurses, and assisting patients at Concordia. While growing up, giving back was a virtue instilled in me by my family. What better way to feel good for the rest of my life than pursuing a career in healthcare?” Last year, Ariana interned in the finance department at Carnegie Mellon University and this year she is with Federated Hermes. Both internships have helped her gain crucial skills in organization, collaboration, time management, and more.
The key to our Internship Program is the support and partnership of forwardthinking local organizations. Each week, more than 60 Internship Partners across the region invest in the future of our workforce by hosting our students.
We also rely on the financial support of organizations to make the internship experience possible. Organizations like the Philip & Patricia Muck Charitable Foundation, whose commitment to Catholic education and belief in our extraordinary students led them to make a generous gift to support our work. Similarly, the Baird Foundation awarded Nazareth Prep the Paul Purcell "Kids Win!" Annual Baird Education Grant, helping to support the cost of transportation and staff for the program. KeyBank has recently expressed its commitment to our mission with a significant tax credit gift to support tuition for our students who may not otherwise be able to afford a private education.
At the heart of it, our Internship Program is a testament to our community’s belief in the bright future we envision for our students. In order to change the landscape of our region’s workforce, we invest in the best resource we have – our young people.