Building Your Resume
Service Learning, Volunteering, Internships, and Travel Opportunities
Most colleges, career schools, and service academies (Don’t forget employers!) want to make sure that they have the right type of person to join their campus, organization, or group. The characteristics and attributes that make you unique and help you stand out are the very same things that highlight the contributions you will be able to make. Several ways to expand who you are is through service learning, volunteering, internships, and travel opportunities. Through these types of experiences, you will be able to expand and grow in several areas, including:
- Leadership
- Risk-taking
- Personal Initiative
- Social Responsibility
- Service Commitment
- Special Talents/Abilities
Throughout your high school experience, you are given many opportunities to learn and are soon read to accomplish your goals. Read on to find out how!
Service Learning
You may remember that beginning in the middle grades, you began to earn "service learning hours" by engaging in projects and activities that combine meaningful service within the community with curriculum-based learning. Service learning is different from working as a volunteer or participating in a community service project. It combines service to the community with academic learning and shows you in what ways the learning you complete in school connects to and is valued in the "real world." Please ask your school counselor or college advisor about how service learning will be implemented at your school.
Did You Know? In Maryland, every student must participate in 75 hours of service learning in order to graduate from high school.
Learn More: http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/Page/24411
Volunteering
Volunteering has a more positive effect on your school and community than you realize. Giving back to your school, community, and/or city is valuable in itself, but helping others does offer great benefits. For example, it can help you learn more about yourself and even put you on a path to your future career. Learn more about the benefits of volunteering by reading on.
Internships
As a high school student, there are many ways to participate in an internship. What this means is that you can take a temporary job to get hands-on experience and usually in a field that you are interested in. Internships can also help you to jumpstart start your career. But did you know that you can get a summer or after-school internship while you’re still in high school? Be aware that not all interns will offered a salary, and despite that there are internships where no salary or pay is earned, the benefits gained from the experience can be truly remarkable. For example, taking an internship can:
Travel
There’s an amazing world out there just waiting to be seen! Whether for a day, a weekend, a few weeks, or an entire summer, seeing new places is a great way to learn more about yourself and opening your mind to numerous exciting and wonderful adventures. You can expand your horizons everyday by trying new foods from other cultures, by visiting art galleries and museums, or by seeing theatrical productions where the story is set in some foreign country and characters speak in their native language. If you’re going to break out of your shell, there’s just no better way to do it. You’re sure to, with each new experience, broaden your perspective and develop, even when you try and resist, an appreciation for everything under the sun. And to encourage these events that will, hopefully, shape your mind into something even greater, let’s set some travel goals.
No one has have to leave the country to experience new sights, sounds, and tastes, but don’t rule out going out of the country, as many colleges do offer terrific study abroad programs. If simply getting out of town is your cup of tea, and you prefer not having to fly anywhere, there’s a lot to do right here on the east coast. Take this opportunity to speak with your family and support system about taking a train or bus ride to some not so distant and really cool nearby cities.
Washington, DC – For a little over 45 minutes by car, 2 hours by light rail, 54 minutes by train, 53 minutes by bus, or be there in 30 minutes by Amtrak, you can visit the White House. And just think for a whole day you can browse the free museums, and the next, tour the awe-inspiring national monuments.
Philadelphia, PA – The drive time in a car is 1 ¾ hours, 1 ¼ by train, or 2 ¾ by bus. What a great chance to see the Liberty Bell and other great historical attractions!
Virginia Beach, VA – It’s 4 hours by car, 7 hours by train, and 10 hours by bus – all for fabulous beaches, the beautiful Atlantic Ocean, delicious seafood, and simply the place where you want to be to catch some hot sun and waves.
New York, New York – Three hours and 17 minutes away by car! You can also take the train in 2 hours and 40 minutes or the bus for a 5 hour and 23 minutes trip. The sky’s the limit, literally, in New York City. There you have The Statue of Liberty, One World Trade Center, and the Empire State Building. For art, dance, and/or music lovers, there’s Times Square, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Need we say more!!
Remember, no matter where you travel, be sure to visit some college, career school, or service academy campuses along the way!
Service Learning
You may remember that beginning in the middle grades, you began to earn "service learning hours" by engaging in projects and activities that combine meaningful service within the community with curriculum-based learning. Service learning is different from working as a volunteer or participating in a community service project. It combines service to the community with academic learning and shows you in what ways the learning you complete in school connects to and is valued in the "real world." Please ask your school counselor or college advisor about how service learning will be implemented at your school.
Did You Know? In Maryland, every student must participate in 75 hours of service learning in order to graduate from high school.
Learn More: http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/Page/24411
Volunteering
Volunteering has a more positive effect on your school and community than you realize. Giving back to your school, community, and/or city is valuable in itself, but helping others does offer great benefits. For example, it can help you learn more about yourself and even put you on a path to your future career. Learn more about the benefits of volunteering by reading on.
Internships
As a high school student, there are many ways to participate in an internship. What this means is that you can take a temporary job to get hands-on experience and usually in a field that you are interested in. Internships can also help you to jumpstart start your career. But did you know that you can get a summer or after-school internship while you’re still in high school? Be aware that not all interns will offered a salary, and despite that there are internships where no salary or pay is earned, the benefits gained from the experience can be truly remarkable. For example, taking an internship can:
- Show you what the working world is like.
- Teach you important skills, such as time management and computer skills.
- Inspire a college major and/or career choice.
- Connect you with seasoned professionals who can and would be happy to mentor you.
Travel
There’s an amazing world out there just waiting to be seen! Whether for a day, a weekend, a few weeks, or an entire summer, seeing new places is a great way to learn more about yourself and opening your mind to numerous exciting and wonderful adventures. You can expand your horizons everyday by trying new foods from other cultures, by visiting art galleries and museums, or by seeing theatrical productions where the story is set in some foreign country and characters speak in their native language. If you’re going to break out of your shell, there’s just no better way to do it. You’re sure to, with each new experience, broaden your perspective and develop, even when you try and resist, an appreciation for everything under the sun. And to encourage these events that will, hopefully, shape your mind into something even greater, let’s set some travel goals.
No one has have to leave the country to experience new sights, sounds, and tastes, but don’t rule out going out of the country, as many colleges do offer terrific study abroad programs. If simply getting out of town is your cup of tea, and you prefer not having to fly anywhere, there’s a lot to do right here on the east coast. Take this opportunity to speak with your family and support system about taking a train or bus ride to some not so distant and really cool nearby cities.
Washington, DC – For a little over 45 minutes by car, 2 hours by light rail, 54 minutes by train, 53 minutes by bus, or be there in 30 minutes by Amtrak, you can visit the White House. And just think for a whole day you can browse the free museums, and the next, tour the awe-inspiring national monuments.
Philadelphia, PA – The drive time in a car is 1 ¾ hours, 1 ¼ by train, or 2 ¾ by bus. What a great chance to see the Liberty Bell and other great historical attractions!
Virginia Beach, VA – It’s 4 hours by car, 7 hours by train, and 10 hours by bus – all for fabulous beaches, the beautiful Atlantic Ocean, delicious seafood, and simply the place where you want to be to catch some hot sun and waves.
New York, New York – Three hours and 17 minutes away by car! You can also take the train in 2 hours and 40 minutes or the bus for a 5 hour and 23 minutes trip. The sky’s the limit, literally, in New York City. There you have The Statue of Liberty, One World Trade Center, and the Empire State Building. For art, dance, and/or music lovers, there’s Times Square, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Need we say more!!
Remember, no matter where you travel, be sure to visit some college, career school, or service academy campuses along the way!
If you are a Baltimore City School student in grade 6-12, you have access to the NAVIANCE college and career readiness platform which includes a Resume Builder. To build your resume, click the NAVIANCE icon, select your school from the list, and log in to Family Connection.
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