Across the school store, two doors stand close together. One door leads to Mr. Dickson’s math classroom. The other door, with the “Career Internship” plaque, leads not to a math classroom but to an office. While this office is typically dark in the mornings, it is flooded with warm light in the afternoon. A teacher sits at the desk, sometimes speaking with a student. Who might that teacher be? It’s none other than Ms. Nicole Kinsey, Great Neck South High’s internship coordinator.
Ms. Kinsey’s path to her current South High position was indirect—she didn’t immediately choose to become an internship coordinator. In high school, she worked dozens of part-time jobs, from waitressing at a Spanish restaurant to coaching soccer. However, after graduating from Boston College with a BA in Hispanic Studies and Philosophy, Ms. Kinsey was still unsure of what career she wanted to pursue. Her Spanish fluency helped Ms. Kinsey find “whatever job [she] could,” and landed her at a technology startup company, where she was in charge of communicating with the company’s Latin American clients. After three years at this company, Ms. Kinsey decided to pursue a Master’s in Education at NYU to become a Spanish teacher. After graduating, Ms. Kinsey became a teacher at Eleanor Roosevelt High School.
At Eleanor Roosevelt, Ms. Kinsey taught Spanish while also creating the school’s first internship program. Her motivation originated from her own high school working experience. “When I say I had a lot of jobs, it was Chuck E Cheese or daycare. I was never exposed to other [career paths] working in social work or other things in an internship-type fashion,” Ms. Kinsey said. To ensure that students have the opportunity to learn about different career paths before entering college, Ms. Kinsey created this position, providing internship opportunities for Eleanor Roosevelt students. Now, Ms. Kinsey brings the same motivation to her job at South.
Ms. Kinsey’s day begins in the afternoon, when most students have either a lunch period or free time after school to schedule an appointment with her. Her part-time position may seem unexpected given the complexity of the internship program, but it has allowed Ms. Kinsey to care for her children, who were very young when she first began working at South. This scheduling also gave Ms. Kinsey the leeway to adjust to her changing family situation with her husband’s passing a few years ago. “The flexibility of a part-time job has been very helpful in navigating that with two kids,” said Ms. Kinsey. However, with her kids soon graduating high school, Ms. Kinsey is considering [shifting] to a full-time position, continuing her role as the internship coordinator while also returning to her role as a Spanish teacher at South.
Though Ms. Kinsey is somewhat of a “lone wolf” without a department, she has received substantial support from the business/tech department, specifically from Motch. “Motch is just the most amazing source of support,” Ms. Kinsey said. “He is an amazing contact to the community, too. He lives in town, so he definitely helps with networking, bringing in opportunities, and providing feedback and support.”
Ms. Kinsey was also greatly assisted by the former South High principal, Ms. Susan Elliott. Originally the principal at Eleanor Roosevelt, Ms. Elliott served as a point of reference for Ms. Kinsey when she was searching for a new job and assisted Ms. Kinsey in making changes to South’s internship program. “[Ms. Elliott] was the reason that I applied [to South]. She was very much a mentor to me both as a language teacher and then in my role as internship coordinator.”
For Ms. Kinsey, the most rewarding part of her job is hearing about the impact that the student made on the business they interned for. “My favorite thing to hear from an internship placement is ‘I’m still in touch with so and so! They ended up pursuing a career in real estate, or dentistry, or whatever the case,” Ms. Kinsey said. An internship must be mutually beneficial—both the student and the business should receive something valuable from the partnership. Receiving acknowledgement from the internship placement provides concrete proof of a successful collaboration between the student and the employer, benefiting both parties.
Internships are a crucial way to build real-world skills that aren’t highlighted in classes. Students may think their reason—often, college applications—for participating in an internship is superficial. However, Ms. Kinsey welcomes everyone interested in an internship, no matter their motive. “There’s nothing wrong with [college applications] being the motivation. Because no matter what, everyone gets something out of doing something like this.”
