Imagine participating in an internship that follows your passion even before graduating from high school! That’s exactly what our seniors did during our second annual Winter Term. Winter Term, a two-week period of unique and experiential learning, falls between our first and second semesters after Winter Break. During this time, students take a variety of different courses and travel on global learning trips, and our seniors are tasked with securing and completing an internship, job shadowing experience, or community service. Learn from the voices of some of our seniors as they share the many ways they gained real-world experience during Winter Term 2025.
Internship, Job Shadowing, and Community Service Experiences as Described by our Class of 2025 Seniors:
Natalie Benoist '25 Interns With Artistic Director at COCA
I did my job shadow with Dr. Philip A. Woodmore at COCA, and I selected this experience because I am interested in finding creative communities that help bring the arts to St. Louis. COCA is one of the largest art education non-profits in the country, and I wanted to learn more about its inner workings. I got to speak with multiple administrators about their jobs and what they bring to the COCA community. I also got to be on the editing team for the upcoming musical Team M, written and composed by Dr. Woodmore. I was in charge of editing the final script before the upcoming read-through, and this experience was really fun because I got to look at theater through the writing perspective. I believe that this experience has been really beneficial for me as a student and an artist, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the arts and arts administration.
Giacomo Castelmare '25 Interned with an Interior Designer in Lucca, Italy
I decided early on that I would love to do my Senior Winter Internship in Italy. I was born in Italy and will be attending Luiss University in Rome in the fall so I was looking for the opportunity to experience work life in Italy and practice my business Italian language skills. I was fortunate to have been able to do just that.
I spent my two weeks interning with interior designer Simona Sodini, based in Lucca, Italy (my birth city), who works with both locals and foreigners to decorate the interiors of their homes.
As far as practical skills, I learned the basics of software used in the industry to measure and do computer renderings of room interiors. I also was able to practice speaking in formal Italian, which you don’t get to use a lot when you grow up speaking mainly to family and friends.
Beyond this, I learned a lot about the historical aspects of interior design in Italy (which is the specialty of Ms. Sodini). Her business objective is to help people decorate their homes to respect and preserve the history of the home while keeping it livable for modern times. For example, I learned how wallpaper was printed once upon a time by hand using stamps, that some of these stamps are still in use today, and that these wallpapers can still be purchased. She also commissions furniture pieces from local artisans whenever possible. They build furniture with the craftsmanship of the past. These trades are at risk of becoming obsolete due to the ease and affordability of mass-produced products.
I would encourage rising seniors to look at the overall experience that can be had from your senior internship and not just focus on an industry in your future career path. Keep an open mind, as there is always something you can take away from the experience.
Daniel Chen '25 Interned with Associate Circuit Judge Joe Purshke at the Franklin County Circuit Court
I was blessed to have the opportunity to intern with Associate Circuit Judge Joe Purshke at the Franklin County Circuit Court. For a few years, I had been interested in the field of law and I saw this Winter Term as an opportunity to get some real hands-on experience in the law field and see for myself if I really wanted to practice it. It was an awesome experience and I got to see so many things that I wouldn’t have been able to if not for this program.
I learned the work that judges do as well as the behind-the-scenes effort that goes on every day to keep the judicial process and system afloat. Judge Purshke was by far the best judge I could’ve been shadowing as he taught me the ins and outs of what it takes to be a lawyer as well as his role as a judge. I was able to meet a lot of local lawyers and heard about their own experiences and journeys of becoming lawyers which was super inspiring. I got to see a handful of bench trials, hearings, pleas, and even a jury trial within the two weeks. Additionally, I was able to witness behind-the-door conferences that lawyers had with Judge Purshke where they hashed out the details of their cases.
Ultimately, the biggest takeaway I had was realizing the amount of passion needed to be a lawyer. Almost every lawyer I met and talked to told me that the reason they became lawyers wasn’t for the money, but because they had a passion for the field and loved to practice law. This two-week internship really emboldened me to further pursue my interests in the law field and proved to be an excellent experience!
Jacob Daus '25 Shadowed Firefighters and Paramedics
During my Senior Winter Term experience, I volunteered at the Maryland Heights Fire Protection District. My role involved shadowing firefighters and paramedics, learning about emergency response protocols, assisting with station duties, and gaining firsthand insight into the daily operations of a fire department. I’ve always had an interest in emergency services and public safety, as both my parents are involved with first responders. This internship allowed me to explore a high-intensity career field built on teamwork, leadership, and service to the community—values that strongly align with my own.
One of my biggest takeaways was the dedication and training required to be a firefighter or paramedic. I learned how crucial teamwork is in emergency response and how every second counts during a crisis. I also gained a deeper appreciation for the physical and mental demands of the job, along with the resilience and problem-solving skills necessary to handle unpredictable situations.
I was surprised by how much time firefighters spend preparing for emergencies, whether through training, equipment checks, or maintaining physical fitness. Another surprising aspect was the strong sense of camaraderie within the department; it truly felt like a second family where everyone looks out for one another.
Overall, this experience provided an inside look at a career that many people admire but do not fully understand. It’s an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in public service, emergency response, or leadership in high-pressure situations. Even if someone does not plan to pursue firefighting as a career, the lessons in teamwork, responsibility, and adaptability are invaluable.
Melina Finnegan '25 Interned with a Pediatric Nurse in the NICU at Mercy
I interned with a pediatric nurse who worked in the NICU at Mercy. I saw many premature babies and how they were treated, as some were just small, but others had health complications like holes in their hearts. I am attending a direct-entry nursing program in college because I have wanted to do nursing for as long as I can remember. After this shadowing experience, I am sure that my interests lie in pediatric nursing, specifically. I learned more about a nurse’s day-to-day life and how they work 12-hour shifts, but three days a week is considered full-time. It also set in stone my mindset that I wanted to work with kids when I am older. Lastly, I learned many new medical terms, like names of diseases and medicines, and a lot about the anatomy of the human body, but in miniature form.
When I first thought “ICU,” I thought about emergencies, chaos, and screaming, but the NICU was wildly different from that assumption. There were many sick babies, but it wasn’t an ICU in the way I first thought, which surprised me!
I would definitely recommend this job shadowing experience to future seniors! If nursing, or even medicine, is something you are looking to do, this experience can be so eye-opening. It is insanely different than what we see every day, and it could give you a glimpse of what your future could hold. Even if you don’t end up liking it, knowing what you don’t want to do is still worth something!
Anna Giles '25 Interned at City Academy
I interned at City Academy and worked specifically with a junior kindergarten teacher along with the JK classes. I have a passion for helping others, and when I saw this opportunity to work at City Academy, I knew it would be the perfect fit for me. Additionally, seeing that I would be working with the littlest kids was very intriguing to me, and I knew right away that I would have so much fun doing this experience, which was true! I spent every day assisting the teacher with classroom activities, lessons, and games that each played a fundamental role in helping students understand and get better at the topics of their core classes, as well as working with them to help use their creative and positive mindsets throughout the day.
I learned how supportive City Academy is and how positive the atmosphere, the teachers, and all the kids are. Additionally, City Academy emphasizes strong community involvement, and I learned how important it is to build relationships with the students and to connect with them. The school also really lives up to its mission, which is to transform children and families through exceptional education that empowers them to overcome barriers. This mission is a true reflection of what it was like to work at the school, with the kids, and with the faculty.
What surprised me most was just how bright all the students were at such a young age. They were all very positive and responsible, which really surprised me, considering their age. But they all have such creative minds and love to participate and be engaged throughout the whole day. It was clear to me that being at a school like City Academy and with friends impacts them, and they truly are interested in what they are learning during their lessons.
I would definitely recommend this internship to future seniors! It was such an amazing experience—I feel like I learned a lot about myself, and it led me in the right direction as to where I could possibly see myself in the future. Everyone I worked with was very kind and accommodating. Just being able to work with kids was such a rewarding and nice experience, and I felt very good about the work I was doing to help them. I hope to work with these kids again in the future!
Andrew Haas '25 Helped Teach Travis Menghini's Web Design Course
I wanted to expand on my teaching experience from Peer Tutoring through helping teach the Web Odyssey: Journey into the World of Web Design with Travis Menghini, Upper School Math & Science Teacher, and I learned a lot about teaching. I would recommend this internship because teaching others helps you learn, too—I now better understand what teachers teach me now that I have taught others in the same way.
Joe Intagliata '25 Interned as a Teacher's Assistant at New City School and Volunteered at the City Hope STL Homeless Shelter
I had a unique Winter Term Senior Experience. I “interned” for two separate organizations, working two very different gigs.
During the day, from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., I worked as a teacher’s assistant at New City School in my neighborhood, right down the street, which is how I originally got interested in working with them. At first, it was meant as an opportunity to get into the Spanish classes, but in the end, it turned out that they needed me most in their 4/5s, essentially their version of JK. I helped out around the classroom, working on class crafts, and generally being there for the kids. I loved how much I got to know each of them, learned all of their names, and they were super friendly with me. They are really great kids and I feel like I got a lot of valuable experience in working with kids of that age, learning how to talk to them and relating stories to them. The teachers amazed me with how broad their version of education was and they were both super cool and kind people.
From there, I would go into my regular extracurriculars (Seldom Scene, Stage Managing, and Robotics, each of which I had varyingly from 4 p.m. to around 9:30 p.m.).
After that, I went right from school to City Hope STL, a homeless shelter on the North Side, where I worked from 10 p.m. to usually a little after 1 a.m. City Hope is a shelter run by a bishop named Pastor Mike Robinson, who I worked very closely with during my time there. This was closer to a traditional volunteer experience; most of what I did was washing dishes (which could take several hours; they normally cooked for upwards of 25-50 people) or folding clothes for their clothing rack. One night, though, the plumbing was out at the beginning, so Pastor Mike gave me a more internship-style assignment: meet three people and then report back to him after with something that I learned or that stood out to me. How cool is that! It was a total break from anything remotely within my comfort zone, but I did indeed literally just go out, sit down at tables with people during the night, and ask them questions about their personal stories. It was a very impactful moment. Even in my experience going out with my mom with her homeless outreach organization, I never had the time to just sit and really get to know our homeless neighbors like this.
Zariyah Nance-Leach '25 Volunteered at her Former School, City Academy
For Winter Term, I volunteered at my old school, City Academy. I’m a 2019 alum and I mainly visited during their Summer School Program. I reached out to Ms. Jen, one of the school’s go-to’s for alums, to set up tasks for me to do that centered around what I want to major in in college: astronomy. Despite not doing a whole lot that centered around astronomy, I got to do a bunch of other tasks that I enjoyed.
The first couple of days, I wrote thank you cards to volunteers who participated in Strive (a program for alums) for the Speed Networking Activity that was conducted for one of their sessions. Since I participated in this activity, I made sure to include something a little bit special for the people I specifically talked to during the program. It was super nice to get my personal thanks out to the people I spoke with. Throughout my time there, I watched over the JKers, put together spreadsheets, took down Christmas trees, organized shelves, gave some ideas to the other go-to for alums, David, about an astronomy class for Strive, TA’d for a kindergarten class and science class, held a bonding activity for sixth graders, sat in for a Q&A with fifth graders, taught a math class with those same fifth graders, and many other tasks. It was busy, yes, but that’s what I loved about it. I enjoyed doing something that I knew was going to help others not just in the now, but also later on in their paths.
What surprised me was while I was working was that I found myself thinking about my career path in astronomy. The connection between the tasks I did and my major was non-existent, but somehow I made one. Seeing how much I enjoyed putting together a spreadsheet and organizing it got me thinking about going into research studies. When I TA’d for two classes, I started to think about doing something similar down the line. What really threw me off guard was how much I enjoyed teaching. I’ve always told myself that I would never go into teaching. “Too much pressure” and “What if I say the wrong things?” were always at the front of my mind. What helped calm these questions was the fact I’ve “taught” a class before for my Black Diaspora class. The difference? Less time to prepare, but easier to understand. Really, it’s unfair to compare a senior English class to a fifth-grade math class, but knowing that difference helped. When it came to the day to teach, it seemed like the whole world was there to witness it. The classroom was packed, but they became the background the minute I started to teach. My attention shifted from worry to genuinely wanting to teach the kids math. The hour and a half (or perhaps a little bit more than that) flew by for me. Reflecting on it now, I felt natural, in my element, and that’s where my interest in teaching bloomed.
I felt super comfortable working alongside teachers and staff because I know these people. That may not be the case for many future seniors when they do their internship or volunteer work, but knowing or not knowing shouldn’t really matter. What should matter is making connections with those people. Building a relationship and thriving from there was my biggest takeaway, and I believe that’s what future seniors should look out for when they choose their internships.
Ellie Reardon '25 shadowed an employee at SEMO Box Company
I shadowed at SEMO Box Co., a manufacturing company that produces boxes for companies around the U.S. I chose this experience because it was something new; I have never done much regarding how the business world works, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn about it. What surprised me was just how many companies SEMO Box provides for. SEMO Box provides boxes for so many companies—when I saw some of the names of the companies, I was shocked. For example, SEMO Box manufactures boxes for Dippin’ Dots, which was wild to me. Many packages you see in stores are manufactured by SEMO Box Co., and I just never really thought about it before. Nobody really thinks of a box manufacturer to be important, but without it, so many products wouldn’t be able to succeed.
Mia Sondrol '25 Interned at St. Justin Martyr School in their Preschool Classes
Norah Wright '25 Job Shadowed a Doctor Who Performs Robotic Surgery
I followed Dr. Sarah Fouke, MD, of Neurosurgery of St. Louis, and sat in on robotic surgeries. I am interested in the real-world applications of robotics. I was surprised to learn how much behind-the-scenes work went into one case, and I learned that many of these approaches are geared toward a very specialized demographic since most of the surgeries were for people with severe scoliosis. The surgery straightened their spines. I even learned about a possible job opportunity.
Congratulations to all of our seniors who completed such eye-opening and impactful internships! Thank you to the many organizations and companies, both near and abroad, who taught so much to our students. Thank you also to Erin Hamill, Director of Global Learning & Upper School Community Service, for overseeing the senior experience of Winter Term. Perhaps looking back one day, Winter Term will have been the turning point in what inspired the future careers of these seniors. Way to seize this unique learning opportunity, Class of 2025 Rams!