A Memorable Internship for our 10th Graders
By: Ms. Nina Fuentes-Genardo
Secondary Principal
Internships have multiple benefits for students including an enriching experience in the real work life setting, enhancing skills and knowledge, improving teamwork and individual productivity, and building connections. It is essential for our students to have this experience at Stella Maris School as a School for Future Entrepreneurs that aims to strengthen our students’ entrepreneur skills such as Persuasive communication and Marketing skills.
The Stella Maris School Gading Serpong Internship program has been a yearly program that gives this rare opportunity for our Grade 10 International Baccalaureate students to have a one month Internship. Starting last Academic Year, 2022-2023, we also gave this wonderful experience to our Grade 10 students in the Cambridge IGCSE program but with a shorter duration.
At the end of last September, our Grade 10 IGCSE and 10 IB students did their Internship. This year, all companies were assigned by the school based on considering the students’ skills, character, location and company needs. The prestigious companies the students did internship on were mostly medium to big scale companies including: Mandiri Bank, Permata Bank, PT Ichitan, Damai Indah Golf, Prasetiya Mulya University, Diginusa, Koding Next, Fifty two group, Dance Station and Bank Maju. Students were excited to have this first time experience working with adults and in the real office setting. Their work was a variety of tasks including Marketing, Social Media, Customer Service and Administration.
Each of the students had their own story to tell. In the Food and Beverage company, Fifty two group, the students had to check on the different businesses in different locations and present strategies to improve them. In the Permata Bank and Bank Maju team, they had the chance to do house visits, customer service and even see bank teller work. Several groups were able to impress their supervisors with their presentation and research skills in the marketing field.
As the Internship built our students knowledge and gave them a chance to apply theories they learned in their Business Studies/Business Management subject, they were in turn asked to use their real life experience for subject related projects that would be included in their Term 2 scores.
Amaris of 10IB mentions that “From Day 1 of Internship I’ve felt more motivated and more productive to do these marketing tasks for my future university experience and I’m very happy and grateful to do this with the opportunity that is given to me by my school” Elysia on the other hand shares that “Honestly I feel very excited because this is my first time experiencing like a real job and I’m also learning new things so I do feel really happy when I do that”. Both of them had the chance to work with Damai Indah Golf.
This short but meaningful Internship for our Grade 10 students given at an early age can help give them a wider perspective on how things work in the real life work setting at the same time sharpen their learning as they turn theories into practical experience.
