With the beginning of the last quarter for seniors at Masco, the Class of 2023 has begun planning a personal project that defines the end of their time at Masco, the senior internship.

  The senior internship is a quarter-long project that most seniors at Masco do instead of attending classes for the fourth quarter of the year. The project involves students seeking out employment opportunities related to their majors or possible future careers, doing a nearly two month-long internship with the company, and returning to Masco to share what they’ve learned with the school.

  “We always hope that each student finds an internship that will give them a glimpse into what they may wish to do or even try something completely new and exciting to them,” said Vice Principal Katherine DiNardo. 

  While the senior internship means that senior classes wrap up at the end of quarter 3, this is not the case for the Advanced Placement (AP) classes that are offered at Masco. In the case that a student is taking an AP course, the student will have to return to Masco during the day to attend that class period, which may be difficult to schedule an internship around.

   Fortunately, Masco allows students who are taking one or two AP classes to do a “limited internship,” where they do not have to complete as many hours as a regular internship, and have the time to complete their classes.

  “​The person that I am interning with is very flexible with my schedule, but [taking AP classes] does make it harder,” said senior Emaline King. “I’m having to find every available minute I have in the day, so I can achieve the 15 hours a week I will be starting with my internship. I’ll have to be planning round trips, back-and-forth between school and my internship.”

  AP classes culminate into an AP exam at the beginning of May, administered by the College Board. This is an optional exam, but one that makes the class count for college credit if a student does well enough. Students only need to attend their AP classes if they plan on taking the AP exam for the class.

  If a student is taking three or more AP exams, they have the opportunity to do a “late-start internship,” where their internship begins after the date of their last AP exam. However, while this is helpful and can be the only way some students can do an internship, this does not always mean that it is possible. Some places may not want to hire an intern if they’ll only be working for two to three weeks after their exams. This is a decision some AP students, like senior Connor Thompson, had to make. 

  “Giving up my Quarter 4 internship means I can earn many college credits from my 3 AP classes. However, essentially giving up my internship wasn’t a no-brainer; I’d heard how great internships are from my upperclassmen friends’ experiences and knew I would miss out,” said Thompson. “I gave myself time to make a rational decision and decided that I could use those credit hours to take classes that interest me, pursue research or take a more professionally and personally rewarding college internship. I am disappointed I can’t go on an internship right now, but the benefits made this trade-off worth it.”

    Even if a student is not taking any AP exams, it can still be difficult to find an internship that aligns with the student’s interests and availability. Fortunately, Masco’s staff is always willing to help, providing “Masco mentors” for the students to help communicate with the student’s internship.

  “We want it to be a valuable experience for all who participate,” said DiNardo. “The adults in the building are here to help the students find the right fit or bounce ideas off of before committing to something.”

  As the class of 2023 approaches graduation, they also get closer to a possible life-changing internship experience.