West's Lepre reflects on impact of internship (Cranston Herald)
By JEN COWART
Special to the Herald
Editor’s note: This story is part of an occasional series highlighting senior interns in Cranston Public Schools.
Isabella Lepre, a senior in the Medical Pathways program at the Cranston Area Career and Technical Center, spent much of her summer vacation working thanks to the paid internship opportunity through the Rhode Island Department of Education’s PrepareRI program.
The program is for rising seniors and looks to match them with a full-time paid internship in a career field of interest to them.
“I first heard about the program through Mrs. Mantia,” Lepre said, referring to Anne Mantia, the school-based coordinator at CACTC whose position includes helping students connect with opportunities such as internships.
Lepre submitted her initial application and received word that she had made it to the next step, a group interview at her school.
“Everyone was nervous going into the interview, but we were all passionate about the fact that we wanted to get an internship,” she said.
An interview with a representative from PrepareRI followed, and ultimately Lepre was placed in a paid summer position at AccessPoint RI, a social services organization helping people of differing intellectual and developmental abilities.
“My internship focused on clinical and clerical work in both the children’s and the adult departments,” Lepre said. “I did some paperwork, filing, and I made phone calls, and I did projects in the children’s department with the kids. Another part of my job was going to the library or to a playground and finding sections where the children were the most comfortable, helping them to fit in.”
Lepre said she utilized many of the skills she had learned in her Medical Pathways program as she worked through her internship position.
“I definitely used my compassionate skills with the kids and with everyone I worked with,” she said. “I also used my critical thinking skills when I was developing plans for the children, planning out the places I would take them or the games we would play.”
Lepre worked all day Monday through Friday, for eight weeks.
“It was busy, but fun,” she said.
As she looks ahead to her plans beyond high school, Lepre hopes to focus her college plans on a possible pre-med track and is considering a future career as a pediatrician.
“All of my internship experiences with the children fit right in with that,” Lepre said.
At the conclusion of her internship program, Lepre was offered future opportunities with AccessPoint RI.
“Overall, it was really fun and I learned a lot. This definitely prepares you for what’s to come when you grow up,” she said. “I’d recommend that everyone do it.”
For more information, visit prepare-ri.org/internships.