For some students at Aspen High School, summer wasn’t defined by Big Wrap orders or trips to the Caribbean. Instead, kids got a leg up on choosing their career paths. Internships around Aspen and beyond gave these students a worthwhile experience to decide if their dream job was really worth pursuing. Here are three examples of students getting some steps ahead.

Madison Osberger-Low interned with Aspen Public Radio as a way to get familiar with her ideal job of being a journalist. She shadowed reporters to get an actual glimpse of the newspaper lifestyle, interviewed the Aspen mayor, and gave story pitches.

“Getting to be an intern was amazing because APR is so highly respected and I want to pursue writing and journalism in college,” said Osberger-Low. She loved experiencing the differences of being “on air” as opposed to written articles and was surprised by the high technology and edit studio that reporters used.  Another pro for Osberger-Low was learning next to Elizabeth Stewart-Severy, a former teacher that recently received a job at APR.

“Elizabeth was my journalism teacher for two years, and we could finally see her in action as the environmental reporter,” said Osberger- Low. Though her internship wasn’t as exactly a trip to California, Osberger-Low found it extremely helpful for her future and enjoyed the experience.

Junior Ricky Wojcik also had an amazing summer internship, and he was lucky enough to spend it in the backcountry.  Wojcik worked with the Tenth Mountain Division Hut Association cleaning, restocking and repairing various huts around the valley.

“It was definitely worth it to work for 10th Mountain over the summer, and it made me realize how much I appreciate the outdoors,” said Wojcik. His favorite part was getting exposed to the beautiful and underappreciated world around us. Through his internship, Wojcik learned beneficial new skills and found the outdoor experience that he was looking for.

On the other end of the spectrum,  Delaney Sinko spent her summer in a courthouse. Sinko interned at the Aspen’s Courthouse Clerk’s office to learn more about the law system, which she possibly wants to pursue.

“I learned a lot of new information about the law system; just being a part of the system and the courtroom was very valuable to me,” said Sinko. The downside was doing the typical intern paperwork, but fortunately, there were more upsides. Sinko met with judges and clerks, and was lucky enough to watch various trials and daily dockets. Sinko wouldn’t have given up her internship for anything; the experience was invaluable to see if she should pursue this career path.

Though internships aren’t always necessarily fun, these AHS students were able to say they had an amazing summer while getting a valuable learning experience. Madison Osberger-Low, Ricky Wojcik and Delaney Sinko got a heads start on the rest of their lives and their career paths.