Summer Internships Connect LBUSD Students to Careers in Their Community

Three Long Beach Unified students clustered around a dimly lit set bathed in electric blue light, adjusting cameras and colored lights. Wearing a football uniform and clutching a football, a fourth student posed and leaped in the air milliseconds before the camera flashed. The students behind the camera studied the photos, giving each other suggestions for the next shot.

In the next room over, two more students monitored sound levels on a podcast that was filming in the main studio, providing the hosts with feedback in real time.

Though they are still in high school, these students are already creating content that reaches tens of thousands of people. And they’re not the only ones building resumes before graduation: this summer, more than 170 LBUSD students participated in paid internships hosted by eight internal departments and more than 12 industry partners.

Every summer, the Long Beach Unified School District collaborates with internal departments and local industry partners to provide internship opportunities for high school students. This year’s internships spanned fields including health care, arts and culture, communications, education, technology and cybersecurity, and environmental science. 

Students apply for or are referred to internship placements based on their interests and career goals, giving them an opportunity to gain at least 100 paid hours of experience in fields they hope to pursue after graduation.

The work looks different at every internship site: at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center, interns assist with the daily operations of hospital departments. At Algalita Marine Research and Education, they prepare water testing kits to be distributed to educators nationwide. And at the Museum of Latin American Art, they assist with summer art camps and learn how museums use art to engage students from the earliest grade levels.

For many students, the internship is their first experience with the professional world. Along with technical skills, they develop skills in communication, leadership, and workplace etiquette. They’re also encouraged to form professional relationships with their internship hosts and their peers.

“Our bosses are so cool,” said one LBUSD Communications Department intern. “But the other interns are the highlight of this experience.”

These experiences are also beneficial to the internship hosts. In the short term, the interns contribute their growing skills and fresh perspectives to their host organizations. Several students have returned to their internship hosts after the summer, either as volunteers or even as professionals.

Christina Campos, manager of PFA & Volunteer Engagement at MemorialCare Long Beach, has seen firsthand how an internship can grow into a career. 

“We had a high school student who came here and he actually became a doctor,” Campos said. “So I’ve seen that full circle. It's really rewarding to see that.”

By connecting students with local employers while they are still in high school, the internship program does more than provide valuable work experience. It helps them see potential career paths in their own community while giving local employers an opportunity to invest in the next generation of Long Beach’s workforce.