Jan 20, 2007

Interns get real-world experience

By Melissa McRobbie / Daily News Staff Writer

It can be difficult for high school students to understand how what they learn relates to the outside world. But for Aaron Taylor and Jordan Habte, that isn't a problem.

On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, while their counterparts in other schools have their noses buried in books, the two juniors step out of class at High Tech High Bayshore in Redwood City and head off to do some coursework of their own -- at NASA.

As part of the charter school's internship program, Taylor and Habte commute to Moffett Field twice a week to work at the NASA Ames Space Portal. The teens' mentor, Jim Grady, chief strategy officer for the portal, describes the facility as a "friendly front door" for entrepreneurs starting new space enterprises.

Taylor and Habte have been working on a Web site for the space portal using Dreamweaver and other programs, and in September attended the Space 2006 conference at the San Jose Convention Center, presented by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

"That's kind of the major conference of the year for the entire space industry," Grady said.

"I ran all the presentations for all the speakers in their section," Taylor said. That included setting up a Power Point presentation, checking that the projector was working and making sure things went smoothly.

"They actually give us a lot of responsibilities, which is cool because they don't treat us like high school students," he said.

About the Web site work, Habte said, "We know the basics, but we're kind of teaching ourselves as we go along. ... We get to use some cool technology."

As Habte and Taylor explore the space industry, Ben Green, another High Tech junior, is learning how the San Mateo County forensics lab operates. The lab, located in San Mateo, processes evidence for 23 law enforcement agencies in the county and for the city of Vallejo, said Green's mentor, lab director Jim Granucci.

Because of the confidential nature of some of the information he would encounter in the internship, Green went through a screening process before he started, Granucci said.

"It's very much like an adult position in that they get interviewed and we do a background (check) on them before they are accepted into the program," he said.

Green has been allowed to observe in the lab, but most of the work he does is in the office.

"I've been doing a lot of front office work, seeing the beginning of cases when they come in, filing and watching them grow," he said.

Green is considering attending Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont and is interested in a career in forensics or in a coroner's office, he said.

The latter career interests him, Green said, because it gives people the comfort of knowing what happened to their loved ones.

"The same applies to forensics; you're solving crimes that will help people," he said.

Green's classmate Laura Sidener is interning at the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.

Sidener said she has always been interested in law and said her favorite part of the internship has been getting the chance to observe real cases in the courtroom.

However, she said, she has learned a great deal from her other work, too. "I learned about how to file closed cases, I did restitution letters," she said.

"If (the files) are put in the wrong date or the wrong month and the attorney is looking for it, it could be very bad because they need that for their case," she added.

Linde Stevenin, director of internships at High Tech High Bayshore, said all of the school's juniors are required to complete a one-semester internship. Students are matched up with available assignments based on their interests.

Thirty-eight students are participating in internships. Their final day was Thursday, and the students are showcasing their experiences on Jan. 25.

Stevenin said the internship program, which is in its second semester, broadens students' horizons and sometimes sets them on a career path. "It's like a spark," she said. "It's an impetus for them to sort of look at the world from a different perspective."

E-mail Melissa McRobbie at mmcrobbie@dailynewsgroup.com.

If you go:

What: Internship showcase by 11th-graders

When: Thursday, Jan. 25, 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Where: High Tech High Bayshore, 890 Broadway, Redwood City