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This summer, Alignment was fortunate enough to partner with ALTA, Elgin Sweeper, ITW Shakeproof, and the Village of Bartlett to provide several promising high school students with the opportunity to spend 60 hours in “hands on” exploration of large equipment maintenance, manufacturing, mechanical engineering, and welding careers.
 
One high school intern from District 301 working at Elgin Sweeper, Reiker Cho, stated, “At Elgin Sweeper, it didn’t matter how much I knew from class.  It mattered how I was able to apply different skills and adapt to new techniques to get the job done. It was a good challenge to see where I had strengths and where I need to improve.” Reiker was able to gain 60 hours of experience with Elgin Sweeper’s experienced welders showcasing what knowledge he brought from the Hampshire High School welding program, a regional program offered to both District 300 and 301 students.  Reiker was so successful that Elgin Sweeper extended his experience for the full summer. 
 
For the first time working in partnership with the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) Foundation, ALTA offered two experienced automotive students from U-46’s South Elgin High School the opportunity to transition their skills to the large equipment maintenance industry. “You have to think about what you’re doing. You have to find the problem half the time, and it’s not always just right in front of you.” says Jonathan (John) Cowley, one of two interns at Alta Equipment Company. John worked with the ALTA maintenance team to both assemble and disassemble heavy machinery and provide repairs when needed. Both interns commented they would love to keep working with the mechanics at ALTA having a passion for both the automotive and large equipment maintenance industries.
 
As always, Alignment would like to thank our partner organizations involved in this sector of the summer internship program. Each individual company played an integral role in the establishment and recruitment of these promising high school students. Alignment hopes to provide even more opportunities next summer for another group of students hoping to expand their career experiences.

Thank you to Alignment’s interns for documenting through presentations, news releases, photos and videos the experiences of our 82 interns.

Left to right in photo:
Maison Preuss, Larkin High School
Emaad Dar, Bartlett High School
Jasmine Fox, Bartlett High School
Bryanna Cole, Elgin High School

Alignment is very fortunate to be able to partner with Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick Inc. (HLR) and Judson University to provide students interested in architecture and civil engineering with real-life experience in the field. These experiences allowed 15 students to solidify their goals for the future and determine if this is the path for them.

During this internship students learned how civil engineering ties into architecture and design. Garrett Burton, one of the interns described his experience at Judson as having the opportunity to look into the more creative side of architecture/civil engineering. “We didn’t focus on the more technical parts, but we did a lot of things surrounding creativity.” says Garrett Burton.

Intern Hannah Savella commenting on the HLR portion of the internship described it as, “learning about engineering [through HLR] was an incredibly eye-opening experience. Seeing familiar classroom concepts used in the real world and affecting our lives really makes what we learn feel far more important and grounded.”

Once again, Alignment would like to express its gratitude to both HLR and Judson University in allowing us to host these ambitious students. Their generosity and the education they are providing to these interns are helping to shape future generations of civil engineers and architects.

Article and photos were provided by Alignment’s two high school interns: Bryanna Cole, Elgin High School and Jasmine Fox, Bartlett High School.

Advocate Sherman Hospital and Well Child Center Host High School Interns

Over 80 high school students utilized the summer to advance their career readiness. Thirteen of those students chose pharmacy and public health hosted by Advocate Sherman Hospital and Well Child Center. Alignment in partnership with Advocate Sherman and Well Child was able to offer students a one-of-a-kind paid pharmaceutical technician internship in collaboration with Advocate Sherman Hospital, as well as a paid internship with Elgin’s Well Child Center focused on public health in order to give ambitious students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of healthcare.

“Being in a real clinical setting provides a sense of experience that you can’t get from a classroom.” says Sahanj Joshi, one of ten pharmacy technician interns at Advocate Sherman. These interns completed both online coursework at the hospital as well as clinical hours in the hospital pharmacy. Students were able to both observe and participate in using the drug carousel, filling orders, and restocking crash carts. Alignment was also able to cater to those looking into the sphere of public health by offering three paid internships at Well Child Center. Interns assisted with the food pantry and worked directly with the dentist at the center. “I think I’ve not only gained communication skills because I’ve been interacting with a lot of different people, but I’ve also learned what it means to be a nonprofit and how everything is centered in the community. I’ve really learned the values here and I think that’s been really cool.” says Mahitha, one of the Well Child Interns.

Alignment expresses its appreciation to Advocate Sherman and the Well Child Center for providing these students with real-life experiences in order to help them feel confident and excited about their future endeavors. Ambitious and hard-working students interested in healthcare can be sure to gain a thorough understanding of the healthcare field with these paid summer internships.

Article and photos were provided by Alignment’s two high school interns: Bryanna Cole, Elgin High School and Jasmine Fox, Bartlett High School.