Juniors Isa Castillo Massima Ponce, Ceci Reboredo and Isa Gomez watch a procedure at the VCA Knowles Snapper Creek Animal Clinic on Tuesday, November 23.
Thanksgiving Externships Bring Exciting Experiences
December 8, 2021
With college approaching, many juniors are trying to figure out what career interests them, so they can choose a major. Mrs. Michelle Minoso’s new externship program offers juniors this opportunity.
Mrs. Minoso started the externship program this year to give the Class of 2023 the chance to explore what different careers have to offer.
“I wanted to provide the students with the opportunity to have real world experiences with careers,” Mrs. Minoso said. “In the past, students who wanted to do externships had to schedule it themselves, and I thought this program would be a good benefit.”
Currently, this program is only offered to junior students because Mrs. Minoso feels that they would receive the most advantages out of the other grade levels since they are deciding on their college choices and their majors.
“The hope is that by targeting the juniors it will give them two years to get some externships experiences,” Mrs. Minoso said.
Students listen to the what it takes to be an architect and interior designer at Gurri and Matute Architecture Firm on November 23.
A Look into the New Externship Program
Mrs. Minoso gives the juniors opportunities in many fields of study, such as business, real estate, architecture, engineering, accounting, law, dentistry, and veterinary sciences. Each junior filled out a survey based on which career they wanted to see first-hand. About 50 juniors were able to participate in this program for the first time over Thanksgiving break.
So far students have been hosted by CAP Government, Doral Automative Group, Lydescker, LLP, ProDental Centers, VCA Knowles Snapper Creek Animal Clinic, Pudding Parlour, PAAST Accounting Firm, M3 Roofing, Gurri and Matute Architectural Design, Dungam and Diverio Design Group, Bardisa Family Holdings and Miami Dental Group.
Junior Sofia Caram went on a business externship at the Pudding Parlor on Monday, November 22, 2021.
“I hope to be a business owner when I grow up, so this externship made me feel more confident in myself and gave me hope that I will succeed as a business woman in the future,” Caram said.
During her externship, she learned a lot about the owner of the business and had many of her questions answered.
“We spoke to Virginia, the owner of the Pudding Parlor, about her different jobs, how she got started in the field, and what she had been able to do through them,” Caram said. “She talked to us about what is entailed in her work as a business owner.”
Caram really enjoyed her experience at the externship because she learned a lot from talking to a professional.
“Being able to have a conversation with someone in the career I am interested in and having my questions answered was great,” Caram said. “As a junior, I have been thinking about the direction I want to go career-wise, so having someone share their experience with me was very helpful.”
She learned many valuable life lessons during her visit that she can carry with her throughout her life.
“I learned that it may be hard to balance your job, tasks, and activities, but it is still possible to get everything done if you put in the effort,” Caram said.
Caram is not the only junior who had a pleasant experience at her externship.
Learning Through Hands on Experiences
Juniors Olivia Magarino, Sofia Fernandez and Sofia Lopez practice hands on at Pro Dental Center in Kendall on Monday, November 22.
Junior Sofia Lopez had an amazing hands-on experience at the Pro Dental Center in Kendall on Monday, November 22, 2021.
“It was an eye-opening experience since I am considering studying dentistry,” Lopez said. “It was fun and educational to learn about that field of study.”
Lopez was able to observe a patient who needed teeth implants and preliminary rods, which showed her another aspect to dentistry.
“I enjoyed seeing one-on-one what dentists do besides cleaning teeth,” Lopez said.
Lopez’s favorite part about her externship was learning about how to suture gums after surgery and learning how to apply anesthesia. Despite this, she still has some suggestions about how her externship could be improved.
“I would have wanted to see a greater variety of patients and procedures,” Lopez said. “I would maybe want to see a cleaning or a dentist putting on braces besides just the one procedure.”
Overall, Mrs. Minoso has received very positive feedback about the externship experiences.
“The girls liked it a lot,” Mrs. Minoso said. “Many of the girls liked the hands-on experience and enjoyed hearing from people in that field. They all rated the experiences a 4 or 5 out of 5.”
Mrs. Minoso will continue offering more externship experiences during Christmas, spring break, and summer break. She plans to send out a new Google form to the alum and students’ parents to find new opportunities for her program to create a more diverse variety of experiences. She also encourages the juniors to try going on externships in different fields to expand their interests.
“I think you should try different things,” Mrs. Minoso said. “You never know what the world is going to bring, in college you want one thing and you may realize that’s not your path. Maybe what you see will change your mind.”
Also, she plans to expand the program to a larger population of the school in the 2022-2023 school year due to the success it has already received.
“The goal is to expand the program next year so that the juniors as seniors have the opportunity to participate, as well as next year’s juniors,” Mrs. Minoso said. “I have high hopes that this program will help both grade levels.”