By Abel Dawit ’15, Staff Writer

For most teenagers, summer is a time reserved exclusively for relaxation and recreation. Often, the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the word “summer” is lying on a beach towel on a cloudless sunny day with their close friends or family. Who wouldn’t want to spend their summer days like that? However, even though that is the most popular view, there are a considerable number of individuals within the Newark Academy community who envision something totally different when they start thinking about summer. To these individuals, summer presents them with the perfect opportunity to continue their education outside of the classroom, and apply the knowledge they have gained over the school year to solving real-world problems. These students often spend their time as interns for a company or organization involved in the field they are passionate about. From their time as interns, these students hope to gain useful experience, and learn more about a profession they may wish to pursue in the future. To learn about the different types of summer internships that Newark Academy students have participated in, let’s talk to Upper School President Matt Thekkethala and senior Halle Abraham.

The internship that Matt Thekkethala participated in is called the Pete Sessions program, which is primarily composed of students from Texas. “During the day, we were either on Capitol Hill or in the Rayburn building nearby observing congressional and committee work. Then, in the afternoons and evenings, we’d do service projects, then tour the city of DC,” said Matt. This

internship is geared towards people interested in pursuing politics in the future, and allows students to get an inside look at Congress and how it is run on a daily basis. Although Matt did point out that he does not want to go into politics, he stated that the program was nevertheless very valuable. “It was an eye-opening experience. I got to see what Texan people are like, and what life in DC is like,” said Matt.

Halle participated in a six-week-long internship, also in Washington DC, with the Global Good Fund. The Global Good Fund is an organization that is looking to invest in youth social entrepreneurship. Interns are assigned  to interview the entrepreneurs that apply for the fellowship that the Global Good Fund offers. “I got to Skype with social entrepreneurs in Tanzania, Botswana, Nepal and Florida and grade their leadership abilities. It was such a cool experience and I was given a lot of responsibilities,” said Halle. Any member of the Newark Academy community who is interested in social activism should definitely consider looking at the organization. “I would definitely recommend this experience to other students. I think it really taught me the importance of social entrepreneurship. Also, I learned that connections and networking are very important in the process of making change in the world,” said Halle.

Before you start forming your plans for next summer, make sure to consider internships as a way to spend some of your free time. The links to both of the above programs are provided below, as well as a video explaining the Global Good Fund. As Matt and Halle demonstrate, even if internships are not part of your vision of summer, they provide engaging and exciting opportunities. Such experiences can instill you with valuable insights and passion to bring back to Newark Academy.

Links to Programs:

• http://sessions.house.gov/index.cfm/internships
• http://globalgoodfund.org/

[1] Pete Sessions is a congressman who represents the 32nd Congressional District of Texas. (http://sessions.house.gov/index.cfm/biography)