Internships are positive, immersive opportunities that make the dedication from students extremely beneficial and valuable. Firstly, internships are new experiences that can mold you as a person by improving your work ethic. Secondly, internships allow you to gain clarity about your future career. In addition, internships allow you to explore working in the real world and explore your interests. Lastly, internships allow students to network and establish connections in their field of interest. Many Marymount students have decided to partake in internships during the summer of 2022 for these very reasons and more. 

One of these students is freshman Sienna Tahernia. She will intern with her father, Dr. Tahernia, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, to learn more about medicine and surgery.

Tahernia said, “I chose this internship because I am interested in science and am considering a career in the health and medical field.” 

Tahernia’s internship will allow her to assess and gain exposure to her career ideas. 

Tahernia added, “The reason I chose this internship is that over the years I’ve seen my father’s work and I wanted to experience first-hand how he interacts with patients and what types of problems he tries to solve for them. After this internship, I hope to have a better understanding of patient-doctor relationships and get a sense of what a medical career is like.” 

Tahernia hopes to gain as much knowledge as possible. From critical thinking to problem-solving, and good, respectful treatment of patients, Tahernia will walk away from this experience with an abundance of new skills; however, she not only wants to learn about medicine and surgery but also wants to improve her work ethic by seeing doctors working firsthand. In doing so, she will allow herself to have more experience in the working world to make her better suited and more qualified for more professional opportunities down the road. 

Another student partaking in an internship this summer is freshman Sophia Gharibeh. Gharibeh’s internship is at Coastal Orthopedics, and she will be working with Dr. Brian Magovern. She will be working in his office and getting a lot of insight into how orthopedic surgeons work.

Gharibeh said, “I chose this internship because I’ve always been interested in the field of medicine. I would love to be an orthopedic surgeon or work somewhere in that area of medicine.” 

This internship will allow Gharibeh to test the waters of a career interest of hers and give her first-hand medical experience with doctors. 

She was able to come across this internship by using the Marymount SAILL program. She will be an intern over the course of 5 full business days and she will have a total of 40 hours throughout the summer, thus she will constantly work first-hand with doctors and gain much experience and improvement of her professionalism in the working world.

 Additionally, Gharibeh discusses what she hopes to gain from this experience. She stated, “I’m hoping to gain a work ethic and a better idea of orthopedic surgery. I am also hoping to strengthen my collaboration skills with others older than me.”

With many goals and aspirations in mind when going into her internship, Gharibeh will hopefully achieve some and gain clarity for her career field and advance her communication skills in a professional environment.

Furthermore, by partaking in this internship Sophia Gharibeh will have professional working experience in the real world, which can allow her to better succeed in the future.

In addition, Juniors Lulu Prestine and Avamehr Vaghaiwalla will also be partaking in an internship this summer. Prestine and Vaghaiwalla will be interning at an animal shelter called Best Friends Animal Society. Although they have not been given explicit directions on what they are doing yet, they assume that they are likely working with the animals there, taking them out, and spending time with them. They are also working with two rising juniors. 

Prestine goes into more detail by discussing some important processes and requirements for her internship: “ I came across my internship through SAILL. We will be working there 10-15 hours per week throughout the summer.” 

The amount of time that Prestine and Vaghaiwalla are going to spend at this animal shelter is a testament to their willingness to help animals and better the world.

For their internship, they must be required to have the ability to interact with animals, be able to lift 25 lbs or more and be able to work on a computer. Due to these requirements, Prestine said, “I’m not entirely sure what we’re doing, but it definitely revolves around spending time with the animals there.” 

Prestine explains her passion for what she will be doing: “I chose this internship because I love animals, especially dogs, and I think it would be a great experience to work with these animals and see the process of getting them homes. Although I do love animals, I don’t think I will be pursuing a career in this field.” 

Her internship will allow her to pursue her passionate love for animals and experience the joy of helping them. 

Prestine also stated, “I’m hoping to help as many animals as I can and gain a deeper understanding of the process of animals in the foster care system and those searching for a home.”

By completing this internship, Prestine and Vaghaiwalla are taking action to do what they set their minds to. In doing so, they are making the world a better place and a safer place for animals, regardless of whether or not they are going to pursue this opportunity as a career. Additionally, through the process of their internship, they will gain experience in working with professionals and further develop a good work ethic.

Finally, sophomore Jillian Dombrowski will also be partaking in a summer internship. For her internship, she will be working with the Bay Foundation which is targeted at improving water quality, conserving natural resources, and protecting the Bay’s benefits and values. She will also be working with a rising senior and mentors who will teach her a lot about marine biology and bay conservation. 

Dombrowski said,  “I chose this internship because I love the beach, and being at the beach while still doing service would not be a hassle.” 

She is doing an internship in a field she feels passionately about; therefore, she will probably have a great, fun, and interesting experience with the Bay Foundation.

Dombrowski added, “ I am interested in biology but not sure what kind of biology I would like to pursue in the future, so I am broadening my horizons and trying something new for the summer.”

Thus, this internship will provide clarity in Dombrowski’s professional career as a possible option for her future career. She came across the internship through the SAILL internship program. 

She said, “I was also very intrigued when hearing Lola Castorina talk about her time at the Bay Foundation last summer.” 

Throughout the summer, Dombrowski has to complete a total of 40 hours of service. 

Dombrowski added, “I am hoping to take away more social awareness about our beaches and climate change. I also want to take away more knowledge about marine biology.” 

This internship will educate Dombrowski about some of the topics she’s interested in and deepen her awareness of how she can help them. Many Marymount students are taking the initiative to further their knowledge and professional experience, and better the world and their passions. Internships provide vast opportunities for students to grow. In conclusion, internships are extraordinarily advantageous and worthwhile. I applaud their courage and wish them the best of luck in their endeavors.