• Providing supervision and guidance to the student during the Internship. The mentor should be available to the student on a regular basis. This does not mean “at all times.”

• While interns are encouraged to connect with multiple professionals in the organization, the mentor is the chief correspondent between the school and organization

• Mentors will co-construct an engaging project with their intern

• Mentor has the time and interest available to support the student throughout Internship

• Mentor can communicate clearly and has patience for interns developing this skill

• Mentor is willing to share knowledge and experience with the intern, including inviting them to meetings with other colleagues if possible

• Mentor will make best effort to provide weekly feedback to intern

• Mentor agrees to a minimum of two, 30 minute meetings per week

• Mentor agrees to complete an evaluation form at the end of the internship

• Mentor has a degree or license that qualifies them to work in their field

• Mentor is not related to the intern

** More details on page 6 of the Internship Handbook**

We recognize that access to privileged information can be a concern for mentors. To ensure a secure environment, we encourage mentors to provide training to students on expectations and protocols for managing confidential data.

In alignment with industry best practices, mentors have the option to require interns and their guardians to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). This formal agreement sets clear boundaries and expectations for maintaining confidentiality throughout the internship period.

In addition to mentor-led training and NDAs, we have established internal controls to further reinforce the responsible handling of sensitive information. 

It's important to note that over the past 25 years, hundreds of interns have successfully thrived in environments where sensitive information is present, and there have been no breaches of confidential data. This track record speaks to the effectiveness of our training programs, mentorship, and internal controls in maintaining the highest standards of confidentiality.

• Can internships take place on Zoom?

While we would prefer for interns to be in person, we recognize that some experiences necessitate a virtual environment. Virtual options can work as long as the intern works with the mentor and their Internship teacher to ensure there’s a strong plan for execution.

• Can internships take place in groups?

Yes. We’re keeping the collaborative or social atmosphere of many workplaces in mind as we’re learning to be flexible with Internship as our program grows. Mentors should feel no pressure to work with more than one intern, but we are encouraging both interns and mentors to consider working in groups of 2 or 3 interns. If interns are in a group they would be working together on one project.

• What if I know of others who might be interested in being mentors?

We'd love to connect with them! You may complete this Google Form to notify us or connect them with Internship Coordinator David Roney at droney@hightechhigh.org. 

Takes place on a Friday in mid-February from 9:30-11:30. We'll update with more specifics when we've gathered some information from our mentors about their availability. 

Goals: 

• Students meet potential “right fit” mentors

• Students hone interview/professional communication skills

What students have done:

• Develop resumes

• Answer potential interview questions from this list

• Conduct mock interviews with 12th graders who participated in the Academic Internship program last year

• Search to learn a little about the companies/organizations with whom they’ll be interviewing

What we hope you’ll do:

• Introduce yourself warmly and make them feel welcome in the conversation

• Simulate a real interview environment

• Keep in mind that for many students, this will be their FIRST experience in an interview, and they’ll be nervous no matter how much preparation they’ve had!

• Provide kind, specific, and helpful feedback

Resources

• If you're not sure what kinds of questions you might ask, here's a great list that students have also been using to prepare.

Sample job descriptions for interns in various industries. Feel free to approach this interview as if you're hiring for one of these positions if that's helpful! I'll continue adding to this list over the next couple weeks. If you'd like me to work on one specific to you or your context, let me know!

Details:

• Each interview will take about 20 minutes (15 for Q&A and 5 for you to provide feedback) with 10 minutes of transition time afterward so we can get kids situated and so you can catch your breath in between!

• Interviews will be one on one with you and a student - there shouldn’t be any group interviews. 

• We do the best we can to line students up with mentors/interviewers in industries that align with their interests. As you can imagine, we don’t get it 100% perfect, so please ask students about their interests and interview them accordingly. If what they want is right up your alley, you’re welcome to interview them for a specific job or role as an intern with your organization. If what they want isn’t totally lined up, feel free to be a little more flexible. Regardless, they should know something about you and be prepared to talk about the organization you work for.  

• Most students have done some research about you, but as ever things are changing (and will likely continue to do so throughout the morning with absences and such), so feel free to ask if they had a chance to do so. If they didn’t, please know it’s likely not their fault!

• Students have prepared using this list of interview questions, mostly focused on the “Basic interview questions” and “Behavioral interview questions” sections. The specific wording of the questions is less important than making sure the student has the opportunity to discuss the following kinds of things (the more prompting for elaboration you can do, the better - follow up questions are gold!):

  • A “tell me about yourself” question

  • Strengths and interests 

  • Weaknesses/areas of growth

  • Relevant experience to your industry OR the industry of their interest (this might be a productive route, particularly if you’re mock interviewing)

  • What their working style is, how they best receive feedback, and what kinds of environments they thrive in

  • Times they’ve encountered conflict in a professional (or school) setting and how they handled it

  • How they learn best

  • Leadership opportunities/experiences

  • Their favorite project and what they learned from it

  • Questions they have

  • Make sure you have time (5 min) for (kind, specific, helpful) feedback!