Every spring, hundreds of Mamaroneck seniors spend their final four weeks of high school in a unique way—rather than finishing their high school careers plagued with senioritis, they give back to the community through the MHS Senior Internship Program. This program has become a staple at Mamaroneck High School, acting as a high school milestone that underclassmen look forward to when thinking about their senior year.
Through these internships, students gain firsthand experience in a field of their choice, whether that be one they plan to pursue in their future or one they are simply eager to learn more about. Students can be placed in a wide range of internships, spanning from those inside the Mamaroneck School District (for instance, helping teachers) to assisting in the greater Westchester County community in hospitals, local businesses, or nonprofits. This program allows soon-to-graduate students an opportunity to truly experience what professional life looks like outside of high school while practicing independence, accountability and a whole host of other necessary skills.
For Gabe Dzwonek (’26), these lessons have been incredibly clear. For his internship, he worked at Ray Catena Lexus, where he took inventory, checked spreadsheets, moved cars around when needed and learned about the details that go into a successful business. Apart from the opportunity to learn more about the real world, he noted that one of his favorite parts about this experience was “driving cars that I otherwise would never be able to, and having the opportunity to fix them.”
As for Ella Schluep (’26), she made the decision to continue being inside the MHS building and to complete her production of the senior film. She spent her time mainly in the video room editing the film and finding ways to help out current video students. Schleup expressed that closing her chapter at Mamaroneck High School in the video room was incredibly meaningful as the program “was such a formative part of my high school years, and it feels right that I get to finish it off in there.”
Another senior, Lulu Fernandez (’26) chose to intern at J Anderson’s Bookstore due to her love for reading. She noted that this passion grew after taking the AP Literature, which gave her the opportunity to talk about books and analyze them deeply. During her internship she organized the store, gave book recommendations, and helped customers at check out. Fernandez loved working at J Anderson’s Bookstore and the internship program as a whole because she felt that “it is something seniors can look forward to after four long years of being academically conscientious, and it is a way to become active in the community and experience your field of interest!”
The Mamaroneck High School internship program has given seniors the opportunity to take a peek into their potential futures as they get to take on interests of their own and explore various paths. This program has provided Gabe Dzwonek, Ella Schelup, Lulu Fernandez and the rest of the senior class with a memorable way to remember their final moments at Mamaroneck.
