Education

Alignment’s first Visual Arts interns paint original mural for Golden Corridor YMCA

Students Explore Careers in the Dentistry Profession

For students interested in a career in the dentistry field, the best place to be this summer was at Well Child Center. The 60-hour internship included visiting with dental professionals, shadowing their work, and spending time in Well Child Center’s dental clinic. Interns also had the opportunity to visit dental programs at both Elgin Community College and the College of DuPage as possible starting points for their education in the dentistry field beyond high school. “Full implementation of the 60-hour Project SMILE internship focused on careers in dental professions was nothing short of amazing,” reported Michelle Zajac Esquivel, MPH, Executive Director, Well Child Center. “Every intern expressed enthusiasm for how much they learned and noted how much they enjoyed the observation and shadowing time in Well Child Center’s dental clinic, as well as other local dental and oral surgery practices.”

While at Well Child Center, interns also learned more about public health and the contribution that clinics like Well Child Center contribute to the community’s overall healthcare services. Interns focused on removing barriers to dental hygiene practices and encouraging healthy nutritional choices through communications and education to families. Interns even had the opportunity to deploy their marketing skills, creating social media posts and infographics directed to families in the community.

All nine students that completed the “Project Smile” internship gave it rave reviews. Haniya Malkani, a senior from Hampshire High School, described the internship as “a great learning experience where I got to connect with professionals, ask meaningful questions, and contribute to creative projects like social media posts and bulletin boards. It helped me grow my confidence and communication skills while working as part of a team.”

In this internship, the Well Child Center team was committed to creating an experience for high school students that focused on both their professional and personal growth while also allowing students to exercise their creativity and communication skills. From this experience, students developed mentors in the healthcare profession as well as friendships with peers from multiple high schools in the region.

Thank you to the Well Child Center for providing this opportunity to students to pursue their career interests, learn more about their community, and to build solid career plans for the future.

This year, we received more than 800 applications from students across Northern Kane County, each showcasing unique strengths and perspectives. With only 200 internship positions available, the selection process was highly competitive. Administrators from Northern Kane County Region 110, the Alignment Collaborative for Education, and School Districts U-46, 300, 301, and 303 carefully reviewed the applications to identify the best matches. Currently, students are being interviewed and offered positions by host organizations across the region with the summer internships scheduled to begin as early as June 3.

Seniors from Elgin and Streamwood high schools’ automotive programs joined Altorfer CAT on March 24 to tour the East Dundee facility to learn more about the ThinkBig program.  This apprenticeship program combines work and school benefiting students with paid work time in Altorfer’s facilities while also earning their associates degree. Students begin by enrolling in the program in applied science at Illinois Central College attending eight weeks of classes followed by an eight-week, paid internship experience starting at $18.50 per hour.

At the completion of the associate degree program, students selected for full-time employment receive a 50% reimbursement of tuition costs and after three years of employment, they receive the remaining 50% reimbursement.  Graduates receiving job offers from Altorfer can expect their hourly rate to increase substantially to over $30 per hour upon completion of the ThinkBIG program.

The Alignment Collaborative for Education, Northern Kane County Region 110, and School District U-46 greatly appreciate the Altorfer team and the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) making this experience possible for these students as they prepare to graduate in May.