Richardson ISD’s Professional Internship Program allows seniors to explore a career field of choice for one semester. For over 30 years, PIP has provided a unique opportunity for students eager to gain hands-on work experience in a particular career.
Students in PIP spend about six hours a week at the internship. Interns are able to attend the internship during the school day as a double-blocked class. Some of the fields students are able to explore include engineering, law, journalism, and more.
Before the internship starts, students attend orientation, where they receive lessons on vital career skills. Students learn how to create a strong resume, to navigate LinkedIn, and to successfully complete interviews.
Amanda Adams is the PIP coordinator for Lake Highlands and Pearce high schools and Amanda Gulley coordinates the program at Berkner and RHS. They have been leading the program together for seven years and are responsible for finding and arranging each student’s internship placement once students are accepted into the program.
“We want students to see if a career is the right fit for them before they go to college. Exposure and hands-on experience can help students feel more confident and excited in their career path,” Gulley said.
Brynne Scott, a junior at Pearce, applied to PIP to practice pediatric occupational therapy because of her passion for kids and her determination to help some children overcome disabilities.
“I’ve had lots of friends who have done PIP in the past, and they’ve really enjoyed it,” Scott said. “I wanted the opportunity to see what my potential career looks like in the real world.”
Pearce senior Deep Patel interns at Richardson ISD’s Accountability and Continuous Improvement Department. He works on web development projects within the district.
“I applied to PIP because I wanted to know what this career was like before I decided to study it. It’s really interesting and complex,” Patel said. After graduation, he plans to go to UTD to study computer science.
This school year was the first time PIP interns could earn an entrepreneurship/small business certification that is recognized as a college, career and military readiness measure and also an industry-based certification recognized by the Texas Education Agency.
The certification can be added to a student’s resumes, LinkedIn profiles and future job applications, and RISD’s interns have already earned 137 ESB certifications.
For more information on the Professional Internship Program, please contact Amanda Adams at amanda.adams@risd.org or Amanda Gulley at amanda.gulley@risd.org. Applications open in the spring semester of a student’s junior year.
(This feature was written by Pearce senior Madeline Dorjee, who is a member of the RISD Professional Internship Program. Madeline is interning with RISD Strategy & Engagement and The RISD Foundation. She plans to study journalism at the University of Texas after graduation.)
