As second semester is well underway, the beginning of the annual Capstone program is fast approaching. The Capstone program allows the senior class to partake in individual internships upon completing their school year and returning from the March of the Living.

Each year, the Capstone programs runs for various lengths of time. This year, it will last for 3 weeks for seniors going on the March of the Living, and 6 weeks for those who are not.

The Capstone program allows seniors to gain work experience prior to beginning college. Through the process of finding an internship, students learn how to build a resume, create a cover letter, and interview, all necessary skills in future job opportunities.

Not only do these seniors work each day throughout this 3 or 6 week period, they are also responsible for attending “seminar days” held at dTHS. The intention of these seminar days are to prepare students for life after high school, including physical, emotional, health, and financial aspects of adulthood.

Mrs. Bodenstein, director of the Capstone Program, works with each individual student throughout the year to find an internship in a field that they are interested in, in hopes that their experience will bring them closer to finding a viable career path in the future.

Many of the seniors have already acquired internships, and are eager to begin their work to gain experiences to prepare them for college and beyond.

Some of these seniors include Minnie Leaman and Rafael Monkarsh, who are utilizing this opportunity to discover what may be the best path for them in the future.

Minnie recently found an internship working as an assistant to the editors of the Beverly Hills Courier, which is a local Beverly Hills newspaper that has a printed edition each week.

Following her passion for journalism and writing, she contacted editors of several different prominent LA newspapers. In her emails, she described the purpose of the Capstone Program and sent examples of her work as a reference.

As a staff writer for The Prowler for the past 2 years, she knew that looking for an internship in this field would help her determine if journalism was the right path for a future career.

“I’m still not sure what I want to do in the future, so I thought that being exposed to the work in this field would be suitable for me,” Minnie said.

“I’m excited to have this opportunity, and that the school aids us in finding opportunities, because as someone preparing to go to college without a clear career plan, I am hopeful that this will bring me closer to deciding what I want to spend my life doing,” she continued.

Similar to Minnie, Rafael Monkarsh is using his internship to test viable careers for his future. As an enthusiast of Death Valley, and the opportunities offered in the area, he sought an internship in the place where he could learn more about the canyons, mountains, and trails in the place he loves to be.

“When it came time to find an internship, I thought, ‘why not look for work there,’ because I love the place, I think I would enjoy the work, and I would get to learn so much about something that I am interested in,” said Rafael.

Following this idea, he contacted someone living and working in Death Valley and interviewed for this opportunity.

Both Rafael and Minnie have expressed their excitement to begin their work, and hope that through these very different and individual learning opportunities they have the chance to learn more about themselves as they prepare to move onto the next chapter of their lives.