We have been receiving wonderful updates from students and mentors. A few samples:
David Zhao from Acton Boxborough High
Tell me about your experiences.
The workplace
feels more like the set of "The Social Network" than an actual
workplace; FanPier's harbor location and the informal work
environment are truly invigorating and inspiring. The work was involving, but
all I needed to recuperate was the view out the 14th floor-windows, where I
could see all of Boston sprawling beyond the harbor. In terms of the
internship, my mentor Jason started me off with a research project for potential business
partners (preferably start-ups) and I compiled an Excel spreadsheet with data
for each partner. That project took the entire day, though Jason took me out to
lunch with a fellow MIT-Sloan peer. We discussed my college plans, the
application process, and potential majors.
Jason truly embraces the role of
mentorship--he's been recommending books, checking in constantly, and teaching
me various business essentials (e.g. LinkedIn, database-use, etc.) Jason's
also been asking me for ideas. All in all, the
first-day experience was really eye-opening and exciting. I really think that
I'll enjoy this internship and learn a great deal about business, particularly
if I want to pursue entrepreneurial business myself.
Daniel Alpert from Needham High.
What has been the best part of your internship?
I am learning about business, especially how to run a start-up company. Also, there is a ping pong table there.
Describe a situation in which you took a risk by putting yourself in a new position, such as meeting new people, asking questions, making suggestions.
I'm the only high school kid with a lot of college students. I didn't know anyone and they all knew each other so I had to put myself out there to make friends. Over time, I felt less intimidated and now I go out to lunch with them.
Ally Reiner Wellesley, MA. Lehigh University College of Business and Economics.
It's been going great at the fashion company. I have a lot of responsibility and have been
learning a lot. I've been able to help out with a lot of the marketing
ideas and events in addition to some PR responsibilities.
From the Mentor of Max Lasser from the Dexter School in Brookline, MA.
Good morning Carole,
Max
is doing great! He attended the EACC meeting last week where he got to
see how companies are awarded state tax incentives based on their job
creation commitments. The meeting was open to the public; he saw various
company executives, local, and state politicians. It was a good
experience for him. He is very well mannered and always eager to help.
We are glad to have him for the summer. Aiden
Emma Witherington from Deerfield Academy.
I’m
really enjoying myself at the non-profit. Janel, Blake, and Kay have all been
welcoming and helpful guides. That said, they still treat me as a mature adult
and expect me to be able to handle important projects. Because it is just these three women who
work in the office, I have great opportunities to partake in hands-on work
relevant to the organization. I am taken seriously, and feel I like I am
genuinely helping them during their busiest season by providing a fresh and
thorough hand on time-consuming projects.
List the kinds of things that
you’ve been doing at work.
I’ve
been three days so far. The first day was largely about understanding the
organization, so I went over a binder of materials that Blake had
prepared for me. After this introduction to the business, I completed my first
task of choosing photos from recent events in Tampa and Dallas and uploading
them, now displayed on the company’s Facebook page.
Since then, I’ve been given a larger assignment in which I research other organizations (some for charity, others not) and put
information like event size, fundraising means, and sponsorship into an
organized spreadsheet.
Kevin Zhu from Newton South High School.
The internship at the State House has been quite relaxing and
interesting. They said that the real fun begins in July, because that is
when all the bills and policies really start to take motion into being
passed, so next month will be quite hectic in the State House. What I
have been doing for my first week is participating in the Speaker series
that they have at the statehouse, as well as creating a e-mail list for
my representative when there isn't a speaker at that time.
Griffin Green from The Rivers School, Weston, MA.
List the things you are doing relating to your interest in robotics and engineering:
1. I created a pallet of potential
stained glass samples for use in their tesserae software
2. I worked in Solid Works (CAD
software) designing 3d models for a potential tool to cut the glass
3. Started to make a design and cut
glass tile by hand (soon to be replaced with a more efficient method)
I have been very excited about my
internship. I feel that the work is very important to the company. I have had
the opportunity to work extensively with Ted as he helps to guide me in the
right direction and with Paul and Blake. Each
of them has shown me a different aspect of the company. When I work with Paul,
I focus on the design process, which eventually leads to the creation of the product. On the other hand, Blake allows me to explore the business aspects of
the company. On top of all of this, the work environment is very relaxed and
makes me feel right at home.
