Golden Apple: Pequot Lakes High Uses Local Businesses to Create Internship Program

Reagan Wurtzberger has worked on cars for much of his life, but it wasn’t until recently that he realized it was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

“Since I was like 14 years old, I started working on my dad’s and my mom’s vehicles, and then once I got my own, I worked on that. And then I really realized that I do enjoy it. Once I talked to Dan and met everyone here, I was 100% sure I really wanted to be,” said Wurtzberger, a Senior in Pequot Lakes High Internship Program.

Wurtzberger is a part of the Pequot Lakes High School Internship Program, a program that aims to help students gain professional experience before they gain their diploma.

“So the goal of the program is we talk about pathways and careers, and we want kids to know, get out into the real world and see what they want to pursue after high school. Our goal is for kids to find out what they don’t want to do after high school and apply the skills that they’re learning in the classroom in an environment that they can see what they’re learning matters,” said Joanna O’Neil, Pequot Lakes High School Internship Coordinator.

According to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey, four in five hiring managers believe that most high school students are not prepared to enter the workforce. This program is trying to change that by connecting students to local businesses and their areas of interest.

“Marketing always kind of drew to me. It was just it’s kind of like I kind of like doing it. I run a social media page for our school, so kind of getting into that, it expanded into this and I do enjoy it. So I just I so I came here kind of looking to figure out what I wanted to do with my future and see if this would help me kind of find it,” said Kylie Spohn, a Senior in Pequot Lakes High Internship Program.

The program isn’t just giving the students work experience, but real world experience that will help them once they graduate as well.

“I don’t care if you hang sheetrock. I don’t care if you clean houses. I don’t care what you do. There is so much opportunity out in the world and kids need to understand that it’s not about your grades. Grades don’t make you successful. And for me, when I graduated, I was, you know, maybe Cs and Bs flirting with some of the Bs, mostly Cs and and I’m getting an A in life and that’s what it’s all about is showing up, working hard and doing your best,” said Chris Cullen, Realtor/Broker of the Chris Cullen Real Estate Group.