Stone Ridge is known for its exciting and community-building traditions, which can range from formal all-school masses, to surprise congés, to a fun goûter in-between classes. But one Stone Ridge tradition that goes a step beyond community-building by pushing the girls to celebrate Goal Five and encouraging them to use the knowledge and social awareness that Stone Ridge has given them and offer it to the world is the senior internship program.
Ms. Flood, the organizer and coordinator of the senior internship program, commented “I would say the vast majority of the students really like the program the way that it is. I know some people have made decisions about what they want to study based on their experiences [in the internship program].” She said it can be especially helpful for those students who focus on an internship they’re interested in because “students that find something that is very much like what they’re interested in can learn a lot from it.” She also commented that when girls have a negative experience it’s sometimes because “people maybe didn’t find [an internship] or spend the time planning it in a way they like.” Overall, Ms. Flood wanted to remind the seniors that when it comes to the internship program “You get out of it what you put into it.”
Each year, the internships tend to split between ones that relate to the student’s prospective major or future profession of choice or ones that let the students try something new and different from anything they’ve experienced before.
In order to make the process more manageable for girls who have little to no idea as to what they would be interested in doing for their internship, Ms.Flood sends out a list of past internships that have been successful and well liked.
An event that helped many students understand the process of choosing an internship is when three alums came and talked to the senior class in early March and spoke directly to their experience with the internship opportunities and how it influenced their later decisions and led them to be the women they are today. They each offered a unique perspective since all three had done different things for their internships and therefore gone on to live very different lives in the professional world.
Zoe Malhotra ‘15 chose her internship with Roundhouse Theater Company after working with them as a director throughout this past year. She said,“I enjoyed every second there so I’m excited to go back and do my internship there. It will give me a change in perspective because I’m not going to be directing, instead I’ll get to be behind the scenes of professional work. It’s nice because even though I’m still exploring what I want to do professionally, I know that I’m going somewhere I love working but I’ll also have the opportunity to explore.”
Isabelle Kramer ‘15 is working at a medical practice for pediatrics. She found the internship through her friend whose parents work at the practice. Isabelle confessed that she chose this internship because “it will give me a unique outlook on the medical profession and give me the perspective of being in a private practice rather than a hospital, which is something I’m interested in learning about.”
Nora Gosselin ‘15 is interning at the Cross Mackenzie Gallery in downtown Washington D.C. Nora will be “helping price the works, showing customers the work, explaining to them what it is and helping the owners set up for different exhibits.” She’ll also be “working at some of the openings for new artists by helping to serve drinks and promoting the event.” When asked if and how this internship relates to her hopeful professional pursuits she revealed that she’s “really into art, but realistically [she] probably won’t become a professional artist, but [she] would love to incorporate something like photography or graphic design into [her] career, and since [she] wants to be a writer [she] could easily combine the two.
Internships, outside of helping Stone Ridge girls spread the knowledge they have accumulated and experiences they have had at Stone Ridge to outside resources, can be very helpful in assisting young people who want to have a better understanding of what to pursue as a college major, and even further than that, what to do with the rest of their life professionally.
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