Seniors Step into the Workforce

Senior Slump: “When second and third semester seniors stop doing their homework, give up on extra-curriculars that actually require work, develop mysterious illnesses, sleep until noon on a Tuesday, ‘forget’ to go to gym class…” (Urban Dictionary). 

There’s a popular theory about the origin of Scarsdale High School’s Senior Options program: the senior slump. According to the theory, past seniors cut so many classes in the third and fourth quarters that they were in danger of not graduating. And so, the school created the Senior Options program to keep the graduating class on track to, well… graduate. The program requires students to complete a six-week internship of their choice. By giving seniors the opportunity to work in an area of interest, the program provides not only real-life work experience but also an incentive to meet the minimum number of educational hours required to graduate. 

The program has given students the opportunity to write and publish novels, conduct research, and so much more. So, what are students up to this year?

Interior Design 

Jadyn Susanke and Cate Bellesheim are interested in art, real estate, and interior design. Both Susanke and Bellesheim plan to major in fashion design and management, so it’s no surprise that they found an internship that combines their interests. The two are interning at Homestead Advisors, a company that stages, organizes, and designs houses. There, Susanke and Bellesheim sit in on staging and design consultations and participate in physically staging and de-staging houses. In addition to consultations and staging, the two spend time organizing and labeling inventory. The pair recently created three design spreads of college dorm ideas for each other as one of their final projects. Due to the intimate nature of the job—meeting and visiting clients—Susanke and Bellesheim have had their fair share of strange interactions. Bellesheim shared an amusing story: “One time during a client meeting at our sponsors house, a husband and wife came in, and the sponsor’s dog did not like the husband and would not stop barking at him. Jadyn and I kept running around, trying to keep the dog calm and away from the husband.” After the meeting, the pair found out that their sponsor’s dog could be suspicious of strangers. 

Medicine and Biology

The Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps (SVAC) senior options program has grown in popularity over the years. This program is a six-week EMT Basic certification course that teaches students patient care and response techniques. Alex Vetrone (pictured at top) is considering pursuing pre-med in college and would like to get first-hand experience with patient care and contact. He plans to volunteer as an EMT over the summer and throughout his college career. Each day, Vetrone sits through lectures and practices skills like taking vital signs. As a part of the program, each student is required to get ten patient contacts. Vetrone stated he had taken vital signs and questioned patients in the field. The hands-on practice required for the course often creates comedic situations. According to him, “One day we were practicing car extrications and our ‘victims’ [students in the class], decided to put on quite a show. While they were fake screaming and crying about how they didn’t want to be taken to the hospital, concerned pedestrians began to peak their heads into the SVAC parking lot.” The instructors, used to dealing with nosy bystanders, “just gave them a smile and a wave as [their] victims continued to scream bloody murder.”

Law 

Alicia XinAlicia Xin and Alison Jiang were involved in social and governmental extracurriculars throughout high school. Xin was particularly involved as a member and officer of Model UN. She stated that “I’ve done government internships before, and I wanted to look at different fields I could go into professionally and to help me make decisions about what to study.” Last summer, Jiang interned with Alison JiangShelly B. Mayer and Chris Burdick, where she learned more about politics. With their previous experiences, it’s no surprise that they decided to intern at Wilson-Elser, a law firm that specializes in medical malpractice, litigation, and insurance defense. There, the two draft summons and complaints, file documents, organize, and research for depositions. They not only love learning about interesting cases—illegal immigration, murder, insurance fraud—but also drinking the office’s free Swiss Miss hot chocolate. 

Nature Conservation

The weather may be wacky, but some students are enjoying the late spring at local nature centers. Noa Shiloach wanted to work outside for her senior options and has been interning at the Rye Nature Center. She was interested in learning how to help the environment, which helped guide her to the nature center. There, she learns about any and all things related to nature, from bird species to invasive plants and insects. Shiloach regularly helps care for the native species, weeds, invasive plants, and plants trees. Although it’s often hot and rainy, she “…like[s] that it’s outside and that [she’s] making a difference to the nature center and environment.”

Noa Shiloach

Education

You may have heard the phrase “Mazel Tov,” but what about “Mazel Tots”? Meena Venkatakrishnan is interested in becoming a child psychologist and loves working with young children. She decided to intern at Mazel Tots, a local Jewish nursery school at Scarsdale Synagogue, where she helps manage the classroom and entertain the “Tots.” Venkatakrishnan’s favorite part of her internship is “getting close to the kids and forming real connections with them” each day. The kids have adopted a fond nickname for her—Ms. Meena. There’s never a dull moment at the nursery. According to Venkatakrishnan, “just the other day I was told that if I were a cake, I’d be chocolate because I’m brown.” She certainly has her hands full, teaching her “tots” about more than just letters and numbers! 

Investment

Varun Bansal has been involved in business and investment for years as the president of the Business Club and Scarsdale’s branch of the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA). Bansal stated: “I’ve always been interested in business and finance, and while I’ve done a lot of theoretical research and investing through clubs and competitions, I wanted to see how that compared to real life.” It’s no surprise that he decided to intern at Alight Capital, a hedge fund in the city. There, he not only applies his current knowledge but also builds upon it and learns more from his mentors. Although Bansal cannot make executive investment decisions, he sits in on various meetings and participates in company research. According to Bansal, sitting in on meetings “gave [him] more perspective on how professionals analyze companies and make decisions.” 

Mechanics

Avaneesh Rao is an aspiring mechanical engineer who has recently been fascinated by the design processes behind car manufacturing. He was excited to get some hands-on experience in an entry-level engineering environment by working at Casarella’s Auto Service on Hartsdale Avenue. There, Rao prepares the garage, performs basic repairs such as oil draining, and assists senior members in completing more advanced work. He describes his mentor as “patient” and the work environment as “relaxed” and “stress free.”  Ultimately, Rao’s internship taught him “how to better communicate and cooperate in small groups,” skills that will be essential to his success as an engineer. 

Baking

 Halle Jakubowicz can often be found in the kitchen, surrounded by the delectable aromas of cookies, cupcakes, or some other baked goods. To get more “formal training” and improve her skills, Jakubowicz made it her mission to intern at a bakery for senior options. After weeks of searching, she found an internship at SugarHi, a bakery in Armonk run by twin sisters Hillary Assael and Elissa Weinhoff. There, Jakubowicz works as a cashier and designs candy bouquets, college candy boxes, and gift baskets. Although she enjoys her tasks, she is disappointed that she does not have a more active role in the baking process.

Cooking

Fuji Mart in Eastchester is more than just a grocery store; it’s home to a Japanese restaurant called Ramen Musashi. Like Jakubowicz, one of Haochen Liu’s favorite hobbies is in the kitchen—cooking. According to him, “being around food has always been a part of my life and learning about it in a professional environment has always been my goal.” Since the beginning of his senior year, Liu has been determined to intern as a chef for his senior options. After weeks of searching, he found a job at Ramen Musashi, where he works the morning and lunch shifts. In the mornings, Liu makes onigiri (rice balls) for the supermarket to sell, sets up the kitchen, washes and cuts ingredients for the day, and prepares boba (bubble tea.) In the afternoons, he prepares and packages delivery orders for hungry customers. Unfortunately, the restaurant is only doing takeout currently, which limits both the number of orders the restaurant receives and the number of orders Liu can make. Despite these limitations, his favorite part of his internship is all the “incredibly passionate and willing to teach” people that he’s met. 

Like always, this year’s assortment of senior options internships has been particularly impressive. The program has not only allowed students to get work experience in a field of their interest but has also kept them on track to graduate. Jose Lamela, the program’s director, has ensured that each student has kept up with their 30-hour workweek requirements, fulfilling the state’s minimum time requirement. As the program ends, each student will be presenting to their teacher-mentor and peers. Then, it’s on to graduation!