Most people would agree that Portsmouth High School provides a multitude of impressive interactive educational opportunities for its students ranging from architectural design building to earning college credits in business courses. However, designated career counselors such as Nicole Bellabona possess resources to help connect students with professional workplace experience outside of the walls of PHS through internships.

The benefits of having an internship before entering the real world are endless. While some people might seek out a position because it would look appealing on their resume, the lessons individuals learn prove to be priceless.

Bellabona expressed how valuable the real world application of course content can be. For instance, taking content from lectures in class about how to segment a target audience and then considering it in context to an actual firm would help to expand upon an individual’s understanding of marketing if that interested them. Furthermore, she said it’s essential to developing the skill sets that are needed to succeed in the real world.

Emma Biddle, a senior at PHS, spent the summer shadowing at a local insurance firm and expressed her gratitude for the position which allowed her to create numerous valuable connections around the Seacoast.

Courtney Maciejewski, also a senior at PHS, has an internship focused on formulating social media content for a peaceful parenting business. She explained how she has grown as a learner through creating posts for different platforms from this internship.

Bellabona suggests that students interested should take the initiative and choose to participate in an experience specified to what they might be interested in doing after graduation. This is beneficial when it comes to deciding on a major or discovering a potential career path.

Bellabona’s advice to those who might be interested in pursuing a position is to give decent thought into what interests the student and then to come seek out the resources.

Back in 2022, an estimated 20 PHS students were taking advantage of diverse learning opportunities outside of the classroom. However, since then that number has been estimated to have doubled as more students begin to seek the benefits of these positions.

If you have any questions on how to get started with internships and real world experiences, please contact your guidance counselor for more information.