Why we require it
Most students choose a college major before they've spent a single day doing the work. Ohana students have already tried something. An internship tells a sixteen-year-old whether law feels like what they imagined, whether a vet clinic is as good as the idea of one, and whether they can walk into a professional office and hold their own. Whatever the answer, it makes the next decision better informed.
How a placement works
Students and their advisor start with the student's interests, then reach into the Ohana network of families, alumni, and local businesses to find a fit. The student applies and interviews like any candidate, keeps a schedule, and reports back on what they're learning. At the end, the internship is presented to the school the way every Ohana project is.
Where students have interned
Government
The U.S. Congress and the Florida House of Representatives page program.
Law
Local law offices, from client intake to case research.
Medicine and veterinary care
Veterinary offices and clinical settings, often alongside the HOSA medical skills club.
Marketing and business
Marketing agencies and local businesses along 30A.
Music
The business side of music through Rock on the Road, the studio, and the annual Nashville trip.
Nonprofits
Partner organizations like Food For Thought and Alaqua, and nonprofits students have started themselves.
I did my first internship with the United States Congress. I worked over five hundred hours that summer for a Congressman. Then I started a non-profit during my sophomore year. Ohana works with you, so students like me have the space to actually pursue things like that.Ohana student, high school senior
What students take away
- A real reference and a line on a college application that most applicants can't match.
- Professional habits: showing up, communicating with adults, and finishing what they start.
- A clearer sense of what they want to study, or what they don't.
- Connections in the community that often turn into summer jobs and mentors.