Kristen Tessau, a senior intern from Gladbrook-Reinbeck high school preparing a meal in the culinary department at GCMH.

Students from the Gladbrook-Reinbeck and Grundy Center School districts are taking part in various internships at local employers. The Grundy County Memorial Hospital (GCMH), along with other businesses in the area including Trunck’s Country Foods, PCI and the Grundy County Soil Conservation office, welcomed the student interns in many different departments. GCMH has welcomed a total of twelve seniors from the school districts in five different departments: nursing, physical therapy, culinary, marketing and accounting.

Matt Leeman, principal of the Gladbrook-Reinbeck High School, stresses how these internships are a great opportunity for students to gain experience in areas of interest, ultimately helping the students decide if it would be a future career choice. “It gives students experience with the ‘real world’ and working expectations,” says Leeman. Many of the interns agree that the internship is both teaching and preparing them for their future career path. Kristen Tessau, a senior at Gladbrook-Reinbeck, interning in the culinary department at GCMH stated, “This internship has given me a lot of different opportunities and experiences that will definitely help me in getting a job in the future.” Gladbrook-Reinbeck seniors, Austyn Smith, interning in the marketing department at GCMH, and Justin Thesing, who is interning at PCI, also emphasized the opportunities that these internships have given them, and the difference it could make for their future.

Not only are these internships giving students opportunities, but according to them, it’s giving them “real world” experience, something that they cannot find just sitting in the classroom. Zoe Johanns, senior at Grundy Center, is interning in the physical therapy department at GCMH. “This internship is great experience for my major in college,” expressed Johanns. Thesing agrees, going on to say, “I like this internship because it makes it real, it’s not just being told about the jobs, it’s actually doing it.” Through their internships, these students are able to get the experience they will need after college before they even start, giving them on-the-job experience they need to succeed.

This internship program ends May 11th, giving the interns a total of ten weeks in their area of interest at their internship. All of these students from both the Grundy Center and Gladbrook-Reinbeck school districts will be in this year’s graduating class of 2012, and will hopefully take these “real world” experiences that they’ve acquired from Grundy County and apply them to help succeed in their future.

Sierra Osborn is a senior at G-R High School, enrolled at the University of Iowa for college, and plans to major in journalism. She interned with the Community Outreach staff of Grundy County Memorial Hospital.