By Sarah Sisay (Cohort 19), Rainier Scholars Advancement Team Intern
Every summer, around 100 high school and college Rainier Scholars explore different careers through internships. During my own internship at Rainier Scholars, I reached out to high school scholar Princess Green (Cohort 18) to hear about her experience as a student advisor intern.
Princess, a rising junior at Garfield High School, interned as a student advisor to 11 girls at Seattle’s Academic Enrichment Phase (AEP) summer programming. She supported her advisees by “talking to them throughout the day, helping them with their organization, and being an extra layer of support.” Princess wants to be a child psychologist, so she intentionally chose to be a student advisor to get more experience working with children. “Being a student advisor has definitely taught me to work with kids in ways that I haven’t before,” she explained.
The program’s Rattlesnake Ledge field trip, where she oversaw her advisees as they hiked up a mountain, was nerve-wracking due to being with younger kids next to a ledge. Still, Princess felt it gave her an opportunity to learn how to communicate and manage the girls. Taking scholars outside a regular classroom and bringing them into the wilderness made her rethink how to do her job to keep them safe.
Internships are valuable experiences because they set students up for success by allowing them to gain the knowledge they will need for their future careers and giving them a preview of what their jobs might be like. Internships also help students decide exactly what they want to pursue in the future. Besides communication and management, Princess developed problem-solving, leadership, and empathy skills during her internship that will be invaluable on her road to becoming a child psychologist.