Grade 12 students offer insight into service internships

60 Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad grade 12 students shared their summer internship experiences with their IB Diploma colleagues and Senior School faculty on Saturday, 19th August. Dr. Geoffrey Fisher, Head of Academy, opened the event by saying, “School is a place where failure is encouraged and learnt from, whereas in all other places in life, failure has consequences.” He continued by saying that the internship program was designed to push the interns out of their comfort zones and learn from mistakes – a unique opportunity to be sure. Dr. Fisher also expressed his pride in the students for seamlessly completing the Academy’s fourth year of the unique Academy summer service internships.  

 

As for the students: IB DP2 student Sarah Keshvani spent her summer designing interactive and subject-based sessions for six government schools and implementing them in Urdu and Telugu medium schools. She also created a book catalogue for the organisation, executed a parent involvement program called “Open Day,” and supported spreading awareness about sanitation, health and hygiene. 

 

During her presentation, Sarah commented, “This internship was a great opportunity to explore the culture and community around me and to grow as a learner. Collaborating with people from different backgrounds and cultures, accepting new challenges, and finding solutions to tackle issues related to education helped me grow as an individual.”

 

Amitha Vallapuram worked at an orphanage in Hyderabad called Cheers. As an intern, her main task was to create a video about the orphanage to upload on social media to encourage people to visit, volunteer or donate. Vallapuram said of the experience, “This internship is not just something I can add to my resume to have a better college application. It also changed my career choice. I used to be very fearful of choosing a career in music or cinematography since they are risky. But after seeing the orphans dream big and working on a video that received very motivating feedback, I have become more confident to take risks in my career and to do things that I am passionate about.”

 

Freya Lalani, who spent her summer as an English Program Coordinator with AKESI (Aga Khan Education Services India) Mumbai, an organisation that works to improve educational standards, summed up her experience by saying, “If you are looking for self-discovery, heightened awareness, deeper understanding of a community, and a great time to have fun and build bonds, an internship is definitely for you. An internship is the best way to make your final summer of high school the most memorable one.”

 

An award ceremony concluded this annual event, in which all students who participated in the Academy’s summer internship program were awarded certificates of completion. All in all, the students’ internship journeys served as good examples for the grade 11 students who will be going on their internships this upcoming summer. Congratulations, DP2 students, on the successful completion of your summer internships and good luck, DP1 students, on your upcoming internships next summer!