The school year is coming to a close quickly and all of the students in the Performance Learning Center’s Employment Edge have passed the midterm mark for their internships. We have an extraordinary group of students this year – overcoming all kinds of obstacles and taking the necessary steps toward achieving in life! We beam with pride when we talk about these kids.
OnJolē Jackson, senior at the Kent Phoenix Academy
Interning at Neighborhood House
What have you enjoyed about Employment Edge? Why did you sign up for the class?I have enjoyed getting the chance to improve my skills in working with children. I enjoy going to my internship and working with the children. I signed up for the class so that I could get more work experience for working with children to prepare me for a job.
How has your internship impacted or changed your view of the Kent/Covington community?
It changed my view because I was able to see that there are people that have a passion for helping children and that there are opportunities for low-income families to give their children the chance at an education.
In what ways has your internship helped to prepare you for the future?
It has helped me by giving me the chance to learn how to handle certain situations with students because different families believe different things. Neighborhood House is very diverse.
What is your plan for after high school?
My plan after high school is to get a job working with children as well as attend Everest College for medical assistance.
Crystal Paige, senior at the Kent Phoenix Academy
Interning at the Kent Chamber of Commerce
What have you enjoyed about Employment Edge? Why did you sign up for the class? I enjoy the people in the class. I signed up for this, so that I could gain the knowledge I would need for the career I want to go in to. I want to be a veterinarian.
How has your internship impacted or changed your view of the Kent/Covington community? This changed my view because I didn’t even know there was a Chamber of Commerce or that a number of different businesses that are connected through the Chamber. As I work with the Chamber, I have seen familiar names of businesses.
In what ways has your internship helped to prepare you for the future? This is giving me office skills needed for my future career, since I will be able to start off at the desk.
What is your plan for after high school? I want to go to Renton Tech to get my vet-tech certificate so that I can work with animals. Later I plan to go back to school to become a veterinarian.
Codi Iglecias, senior at the Kent Phoenix Academy
Interning with the Kent International Festival
What have you enjoyed about Employment Edge? Why did you sign up for the class? I have enjoyed everything so far. I’ve enjoyed getting to know and understand the concepts of the job world: how to dress, apply, make resumes, and act during an interview.
How has your internship impacted or changed your view of the Kent/Covington community? The internship got me out of the house more. It taught me more about cooperating with others and gave me many skills that I could use in life and/or at many other job sites.
In what ways has your internship helped to prepare you for the future? My internship taught me the importance of attitude, initiative, and being able to work with others. It has also shown me how to delegate tasks and motivate and help people as a team. All in all the internship has helped give me the skills I really needed.
What is your plan for after high school? I’m currently searching for a job to take after the internship. I plan to attend Green River Community College to pursue my studies in the fine arts (web design, graphic design, etc.) and then I hope to transfer to a university.
Kayla Bennett, junior at the Kent Phoenix Academy
Interning at SKCAC Industries
What have you enjoyed about Employment Edge? Why did you sign up for the class? I’ve enjoyed exploring careers and learning job skills. I also like going on the field trips because they were good learning experiences. I signed up for the course because when Miss Kim told me about it, it just sounded fun.
How has your internship impacted or changed your view of the Kent/Covington community? This internship has changed my view of the Kent community because I never knew there was a business like this in existence. I think it’s very cool that people are willing to help special needs people to learn job skills.
In what ways has your internship helped to prepare you for the future? I think my internship has helped prepare for my future by teaching me what a real job is going to be like. It has helped me gain skills that I’ll probably use later on in future jobs.
What is your plan for after high school? My plans for after high school are to go to community college to raise my GPA, then transfer to a 4-year college to become a radiation oncologist.