The Senior Experience internship is an interactive learning partnership through which students increase their knowledge and skills in a particular area of study while under the guidance of a mentor(s). The internship allows our students to team up with a variety of people within the community, and it allows businesses and corporations to invest in the future of their industry. Our students get knowledge in the following fields:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Automotive Engineering & Design
• Culinology®
• Digital Media 
• Commercial Art 
• Computer Science
• Fashion Design & Merchandising
• Law & Justice
• Strategic Asset Management

The essential component of a successful internship is that the student actively participates in an area of interest under the guidance of a mentor. Different mentors approach this in different ways. Some mentors design special projects to have students develop particular skills. Others integrate students into ongoing projects that may require the student to collaborate with other colleagues (teamwork) or to work independently on one aspect of the project which the student is capable of undertaking with minimal supervision (initiative). Internships may be in any discipline or involve any profession. However, it is mandatory for each student to be linked to an internship that relates to the student's field of study.

Defining what an internship is not, is equally as important as defining what it is. Students are expected to perform duties, including filing, typing, etc., that are relevant to their intern position. However, they are not to serve as "day labor" for businesses or social/public service agencies. An internship is not an employment experience as much as it is a learning experience.

 Program Highlights:

• The Senior Experience program is a graded internship graduation requirement that is board-approved for students in their senior year.
• Student interns report directly to the internship every Wednesday during the academic year for the full business day.
• Specific internship hours are determined by the mentor.
• The internship begins in September and concludes in June.
• Starting date may vary.
• Mentorship may be provided by one or more individuals within the organization who take an active interest in the student's growth and development as an intern.
• Internship activities can be performed with no monetary compensation to the student intern.

Senior Experience Coordinator: Andrea Buccino, andbuc@bergen.org

**Senior Experience Portal**