What do dreams of being an astronaut, yoga instructor, journalist and physical therapist all have in common? They are career dreams of seniors at St. Mary Academy Bay View, who through the school’s, “School to Career” internship program, have had the opportunity to obtain experience in their field of interest before going off to college. The seniors, including Katie Langlais of Warwick, Alexis Rossi of Cranston, Molly Ruhan of Pawtucket and Elizabeth Ward of North Providence, wrapped up their internships this past week.

“The program was implemented in 1974 by Sister Mary Bernard McCann, it was originally called ‘Community Classroom’” explains School to Career Coordinator, Barbara Bachand. “She believed students needed more than academics, and so she wanted them involved in the community.”

Though the program still includes that service-oriented, “community” aspect, it has developed over the years to emphasize the importance of mentors providing students with real, hands-on experience, so that they can understand a day in the life of their chosen career field, said Bachand.

“The program is beneficial because it helps students understand what they like and/or dislike about their career path,” added Bachand, “It is successful because of the experience the student gains and the networking that happens, some students have even received internships or employment after college as a result of the School to Career Program.”

Langlais, who hopes to be an aeronautical engineer, is one of a few seniors to intern at Raytheon in Portsmouth.

“I’ve always loved space and everything to do with space, as a kid all I wanted on holidays were telescopes and space books,” said Langlais, “Now that I’m choosing my career path it seems only fitting that I pursue my greatest passion.”

“I really enjoy my internship,” added Langlais, “I get to meet a new group of engineers each week, so I get a taste of all the different forms of engineering.”

“Every week we experience a different stage of engineering, all that we learn is going towards building a rocket which will be launched on the last day of School to Career,” said Langlais, “My favorite thing has been building the circuit board for the rocket, it was really cool to build something from scratch that will eventually be used to make a rocket fly.”

“In a perfect world, I’ll be an astronaut in the Mars program,” said Langlais, “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life learning about the universe, and advancing us as a species.”

Ward, who wants to be a yoga instructor, and possibly a business owner has chosen to intern at her local yoga studio, Joyful Bliss Yoga in Johnston.

“I got into yoga about a year ago for fitness,” said Ward, “Then I realized that there’s a whole different mental aspect to it that I found to be really rewarding.”

“My day consists of helping with the studio’s social media platforms, sometimes filing paperwork, and observing the classes,” said Ward, “I really love it, my favorite part has been just seeing the ins and outs of owning a business.”

Rossi, who aims to be a journalist, interned at the Seekonk Reporter. The Reporter is a monthly newspaper publishing news for the towns of Rehoboth, Seekonk, and East Providence.

“I became interested in journalism towards the end of my sophomore year,” said Rossi, “I have always enjoyed writing, and the idea of reporting excites me.”

Rossi has just finished writing prom-themed articles for the May issue of the publication. Her main role has been providing article ideas that may encourage more young people to read the newspaper.

“Overall I’ve liked this internship, this is the first year the Seekonk Reporter has participated in Bay View’s School to Career program, and I feel as though it was very organized,” said Rossi, “I encourage any incoming seniors who are interested in journalism to intern here.”

Keri Cote, Head of Marketing and Advertisement and Rossi’s mentor, also gave positive feedback, saying, “Our first year partnered with Bay View went very well, I’m glad the school contacted me with this opportunity, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“Alexis has worked very hard during her internship, She has written several articles, all done very well,” said Cote, “I think this is quite a good program, especially for future journalists, as it has given Alexis the opportunity to see many aspects of the job.”

“It’s such a small newspaper, so I really feel like I’ve had a lot of opportunities interns normally wouldn’t have,” added Rossi, “I’ve learned a lot, and I’m excited to pursue this as a career.”

Ruhan, who wants to be a physical therapist, has been interning at Performance Physical Therapy in her hometown of Pawtucket.

“I’ve always had an interest in the medical field, but it wasn’t until I started taking my granddad to physical therapy that I realized this is what I wanted to do specifically,” said Ruhan, “I’ve been a dancer for 10 years, so I’m thinking I might even specialize in dance physical therapy.”

“My day typically includes sitting on patient evaluations, and learning the different techniques used to strengthen muscles with the exercise specialists,” said Ruhan, “I sometimes get to sit in on dry-needling, which is a form of acupuncture.”

In dry needling, a needle is stuck into the area of tension, causing the muscle to twitch, which releases the tension.

“It sometimes made me queasy,” said Ruhan, “but it’s a very interesting technique.”

“My favorite part of the internship is going into the aquatic therapy room, where patients use tools such as the water treadmill,” said Ruhan, “This is usually for patients who are post-surgery, or have very severe injuries.”

“I don’t like the hospital environment too much, but I really like the idea of helping people, and that’s exactly what the specialists here get to do,” said Ruhan, “This experience has definitely reassured me that this is the career I want to pursue, I’ve gained a lot of first-hand experience which I’m very grateful for.

Though they’ve all had very different experiences, one thing these four seniors can agree on, is that their experiences have been overwhelmingly positive.

“I’m very glad our school has this program,” said Ruhan, “I’ve learned so much that will inform me throughout my lifetime.”

Editor’s note: Isabella Zainyeh, a senior at Bay View, reported this story as a part of her school to career internship at the Warwick Beacon.