Student Internships

Student Intern Karim Miles in Chef Gary Walker's kitchen.

Perspectives is committed to offering our students experience in our community.  (see About Us/Community Engagement web pages for more).

We offer six week long, one day per week internships as opportunities for our students to learn more about their career interests by pairing them with volunteer mentors in their workplace.  175 students are currently interning in businesses that include law and accounting firms, community health clinic, architecture firm, graphic design firm, catering company, restaurants, and at Perspectives in our data analysis and IT departments.  To find out how you can volunteer to provide an internship to a Perspectives student please contact Jane Esser at jesser@perspectivescs.org. 

 

I'm in it for the long haul with Perspectives

Parent: LaShaun Goodwin
Students: Terence & Clarence, 8th Grade (pictured); Aaron. 9th Grade Cal Tech

Three of LaShaun Goodwin's four children have attended Perspectives Calumet Middle School. Her twins Terence and Clarence are 8th-graders this year, and her son Aaron graduated last June and went on to the High School of Technology. "I'm in it for the long haul with Perspectives," she says proudly.

"I especially like the communication with teachers in the middle school," Goodwin says. She hears from teachers via email "on a weekly basis, sometimes several times a week, and it's not just bad. If they have a good report, they let me know." She also appreciates the early emphasis on college. "They are naming each 8th-grade class after a university--one class is Georgetown. It's giving the kids a lot to look forward to."

It's like a family

Student: Ricardo Garcia, 11th Grade
Campus: Rodney D. Joslin

 

“When I came to visit the school I liked it because it had a new building and it felt small, which was something I wanted. My old school was really big, and I didn’t like that. In that school you felt more like a number, and the thing I like about Perspectives is that you actually feel like a person. The teachers and the students have a good relationship. It’s like a family. The teachers really care about the students. That’s what attracted me to Perspectives.”

Because of Perspectives, I am forever a lifelong learner.

Student: Angel Heard
Campus: Rodney D. Joslin
Currently: Internship at the Art Institute

"When I came to Perspectives Charter Schools, I never thought that the 26 principles of A Disciplined Life could change my life. But these principles opened my eyes to the world and taught me that there is more to education. It takes more than just going to class. It takes initiative to achieve my goals. It takes an open mind to accept new possibilities and change. It took all of these principles to get me where I am now. I am forever a lifelong learner."

As educators, we empower students to be success stories.

Counselor:Tony Seiden
Campus: Rodney D. Joslin Campus
Graduate: Greg Washington, '07
College: Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD   

Tony’s Perspective:
“Many of our students are the first in their family to go to college, so it’s up to us to make sure that they are prepared, not only to go to college, but to graduate from college. Maintaining our “College for Certain” environment is not only the job of college counselors, it is the responsibility of every staff member in all our schools. Greg is a great example of what we can accomplish.”

Greg’s Perspective:
“I knew I could talk to Mr. Seiden or ask him what to look out for or who to talk to. Other schools are either so big that they can’t concentrate on individual students or they have counselors who just don’t care.”

Perspectives inspired our daughter to continue her education.

Student: Micaela Bravo
Parents:  Andres and Maria Bravo
Campus: Rodney D. Joslin Campus

“Perspectives has opened many doors for our children. Everything about Perspectives helps students become mature and responsible adults. Thanks to Perspectives, two of our children have been able to go to college.”

Perspectives is changing the face of public education.

Donor: Tony Anderson, Vice Chair and Midwest Managing Partner
Company: Ernst & Young LLP

"Ernst & Young is committed to increasing access to education for disadvantaged and minority students. For us, success is seeing these students attend college, graduate and achieve their potential. So we've chosen to align our efforts with Perspectives because we believe in their ‘College for Certain’ environment and focus on higher achievement. We also value the opportunity to engage with the students of Perspectives and leverage our skill sets by mentoring, tutoring and providing internships and programs that make a meaningful difference."

A Disciplined Life changed the way I viewed the world.

Alumni: Veronika Hayes
College: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, '06; Masters candidate, The John Hopkins University, '08

“The most important thing I took away from Perspectives was how to lead A Disciplined Life.  I can't help but reflect on the accomplishments I have attained because of A Disciplined Life. I just finished my two-year commitment to Teach for America in Baltimore. I make it my business to instill many of these principles in my own students.  They are simple things that lead a person to success.”