For seniors at Haldane, the final weeks before graduation look a little different than those at neighboring schools. Instead of counting down the days until the end of classes, seniors immerse themselves in professional settings through Haldane’s ASPIRE (A Senior Program for Internships, Research, and Enrichment). The program, which is overseen by high school math teacher and multi-club adviser Marilyn Granese, requires all seniors to choose an organization to intern with for 20 hours each week. Eventually, their experiences culminate in fi nal presentations that are shared with staff and peers.
Th e Haldane internships first originated as an elective class led by the late Ginny Pidala, a longtime teacher and advisor at Haldane High School who retired in 2014. This class held roughly twelve students and focused on preparing students for professional work through activities like resume building, researching fields of interest, and hosting guest speakers.
Then, under Melissa Seidman, a former Haldane history teacher, internships evolved from an elective class to a program available to all seniors, under the condition that a certain attendance and GPA threshold was met.
“I think that was an important shift because it’s such a valuable experience that seniors might not have had before,” said Granese. “If you look at your peers, how many of you have jobs right now?” she added. Granese noted that the ASPIRE program pushes students away from interning at family businesses, as there are “always opportunities for that” down the road.
Some seniors pursue internships that align with their field of interest. Leo Grocott is currently interning at Magazzino Italian Art, a contemporary art museum located off Route 9 in Cold Spring. Grocott, who plans to study Art History at Tufts University, shared, “I have always been interested in art and art history, and Magazzino felt like almost too good of a fit.”
In a similar light, senior Roth Westphal is pursuing an interest in the food industry through two internships: one as a butcher at the Marbled Meat Shop, located off Route 9, and the other as a worker at Mommò’s Pizza, based in Garrison. Seniors like Westphal have the option to split their 20 hours of work per week between multiple different businesses. Referring to Westphal’s internship, Secor said, “Though he’s not necessarily going to school for that, I think it will be an enduring skill that he’ll be able to take with him–whether it be home cooking or if he eventually decides to join the industry.”
Other seniors select internships to gain experience in fields they have absolutely no intention of later pursuing. Senior Luke Bozsik, who will major in Business at Siena University, now spends his weekdays at Fishkill’s dog kennel, Pet Pleasers. “I learned of it from driving frequently in the area”, Bozsik said, “so I chose to work here because of the convenient location and my love for dogs.” For Bozsik, this internship opportunity is less about preparation for the professional world and more about spending time doing something he loves before his next chapter begins, a sentiment shared by many other students. Haldane’s ASPIRE program is built to enrich the whole person, not just the budding professional.
Aine Duggan and Shayla Ochoa, seniors interning at the Phillipstown Volunteer Ambulance Corps, selected their internships for another reason. Duggan and Ochoa work with other interns at PVAC, assisting professional volunteers in medical emergencies around the Phillipstown area. Before jumping into work, interns are required to obtain a Cognitive and Skills Evaluation certification from the American Heart Association’s CPR, AED, and Basic Heart Support program.
“I think that my experience at PVAC is so valuable because it has taught me how to work under pressure,” Duggan said. Ochoa concurred, “I have also learned so many new things about safety and even important medical skills”.
Several other seniors have assorted internships; Luke Tippett is working in the AI department at Mount Sinai Health System, Jasmine Wallis is in commercial fashion in New York City, and Owen Sullivan-Hoch is with an environmental consulting company that focuses on architecture and engineering.
“What I think is unique about this internship experience is that students are getting durable skills that go beyond academics. Most of our students do well academically, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into career readiness for the real world,” Secor said, “So it is cool because they are practicing professionalism, which even our most charismatic students need to practice, while also gaining networking opportunities.”
