Summer. The word evokes an image of the beach, a nice drink by the pool, or an exhilarating trip to Europe, all away from the hassle of tests and schoolwork.
Not so fast. BCA students are in no state of mind to forego the summer months without a hint of effort. Whether it be an internship, job, or volunteering opportunity, many at BCA are going all-in to make the most of their break.
Take Liam Coohill, for example. A sophomore in the Business Academy, Coohill is taking on a role in the financial division of the Bergen County Courthouse, officially known a the Bergen Visinage. “I’m going to be doing a variety of things,” he said. “From what I understand, I’m going to be doing finance as I mentioned, accounting, allocation of resources, and making sure that all fines and bail are paid.”
Coohill will also get the opportunity to work closely with lawyers who go into the courthouse. “They all go to the financial department for documents,” he said, “so I will be helping lawyers find the documents they need. I will also be sitting in on court cases and trial proceedings.”
A medical program at UPenn, a “summer research internship at Cooper Union for mechanical engineering,” and an internship at SciTech Kids in NYC are among some other plans.
Why, one may ask, would Coohill spend his time off from school pursuing such an activity? Coohil said the opportunity is a way for him to explore his career choices in terms of law and finance. “I figured that it combined my law interest with my interest in finance, so I can kind of find out which career path I’d like to pursue by seeing both sides.”
On the other hand, Max Aronson, a graduating senior in the Culinary Academy, is going to be continuing his internship at an award-winning restaurant in New York City. “I am continuing my internship at Gramercy Tavern full time during the summer.” In regards to why he chose to pursue such an internship, Aronson replied, “I wanted to get more of an understanding of how a restaurant works by working full time. I also wanted to learn independence by living in the city.”
Aronson, in fact, was not the only one to cite pursuing hospitality opportunities. Jake Shin, an ABF junior, while interning at different hospitality organizations in his town, will also be exploring interning in a restaurant in New York.
“I want to open up a restaurant when I grow up. That’s my main goal so I want to get the experience and find out what it’s like.” He added, “I want to know what it’s like to be an entrepreneur in the hospitality business.”
Not everyone is interested in the business field, however. Science and medical-oriented students, like Medical Academy freshman, Yasoda Mantena, are pursuing opportunities based in those fields. Mantena plans on shadowing a doctor at Hackensack Hospital in the diabetes division. While she said she will not have actual contact with patients due to her age, she is still excited to volunteer. “The doctor I’m shadowing is someone I know and is a family friend. And I really want to get some exposure and understand how the hospital works.”
Multiple students are also pursuing research and other science programs here at BCA. As one sophomore from AMST said, “I am doing cell biology research at school to continue my plant project.” This student also mentioned that she will be in “a fiction writing program at school in order to hone [her] writing skills and submit scholastic writing entries.”
Yet, research is not the only science opportunity BCA students are heading towards. A medical program at UPenn, a “summer research internship at Cooper Union for mechanical engineering,” and an internship at SciTech Kids in NYC are among some other plans.
He will be “helping the empowerment of Korean Americans in society” through special projects.
Meanwhile, Brian Hsieh, a freshman in the Computer Science Academy, is going to Taiwan to teach English at a school there. Saying it will be a “fun experience and life lesson” Hsieh also added, “I haven’t been there in five years so I want to see my family again.”
While internships and jobs may seem appealing to some, volunteering is the way to go for others. Suzan Kim, an ABF sophomore, is one of the founders of the student organization All Together, which actually has a chapter here at BCA. After attending journalism camp at Columbia University, Kim is going to be interning at Children’s Aid and Family Services (CAFSNJ) , the nonprofit organization that has a partnership with her organization.
According to Suzan, “All Together is a student-run organization that is dedicated to ending child maltreatment; we are partners with CAFSNJ and have Tae Kwon Do and cooking classes for the children.” But, that’s not all; Suzan will also be volunteering at a debate camp in Harlem and take part in Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) program.
Alex Whang, an ABF freshman, will be working at Korean American Civic Empowerment (KACE). In Whang’s words, he will be “helping the empowerment of Korean Americans in society” through special projects. He added, “KACE organizes projects such as voter registration drives that help register voters for upcoming elections and we’re planning to go to Washington D.C. to express our plans to congressmen of empowering Korean americans.”
Whang is also planning on working at Camp Sunshine, where he hopes to be a counselor. The camp is designed for children with physical and mental disabilities.
In fact, a number of students are planning to volunteer or go to summer camps all over the country, whether it may be to go back to camps they attended as children to become counselors, or gain educational experiences at academic programs.
That said, BCA students definitely know how to have a good summer, and it certainly will not be without some relaxation and incredible experiences! We at the Chronicle hope you have the most refreshing and eventful summer yet.