Stepping out of a car in front of their home away from home this summer, students begin their summer internships. This summer, students have the opportunity to get a jump on their futures. Participating in internships and summer programs is an excellent way for students to pad their resume or test out a career they hope to have in the future.

Lydia Kong is participating in an internship at a local law office to obtain the full experience of being a lawyer, something she hopes to pursue in the future.

Makenzie Brookins, sophomore, will be attending the Junior Statesmen of America conference held at University of California Davis, this summer.

“I applied for this program so I could gain experience working with politicians, I hope to gain experience because I want to go into politics,” Brookins said.

An additional benefit of summer programs for students is gaining new life skills that they can take away to college with them. Honing leadership skills will help students no matter which field they choose to go into in college.

Jamie Yang, junior, is participating in a program at the University of Virginia called Leadership on the Lawn. This is a prestigious leadership camp as it is run by the university and not a separate company simply using the campus. The program focuses on teaching high school students the best ways to become better leaders.

The Leadership on the Lawn program promotes collaboration with peers to share their ideas for being better leaders. This week long program brings in speakers to talk to students; in addition it holds conferences to promote the sharing of ideas. In the afternoons, participants have the freedom to go into town and spend time socializing with other young leaders.

“I applied for this program because I wanted to share my leadership skills and to learn new ways to be a better leader” Yang said.

Ultimately, student internships and summer programs are a way to get ahead in a field of choice. Aside from gaining beneficial experience and adding the program or internship to a college resume, these programs are a way to learn and experience what a future job may be like.

Olivia Henderson, junior, is participating in a summer medical program at Georgetown as she hopes to go into the medical field, this program will help to give her that will beneficial when she goes into the field. Attending this program will also be a valuable thing to add to a resume when applying for college.

Applying for internships early in the year as important as programs make their decisions before summer begins. Summer programs are a beneficial way to spend the summer as they can help students progress in life.