My externship at Clenera consisted of creating training modules for employees in order to help them grow professionally and develop skills that they can apply in their day-to-day work with colleagues, as I served as the summer extern for Clenera’s HR team. All of the modules I created were applicable to my role as a school counselor as these trainings included soft skills that I believe will help my students learn how to work collaboratively with their peers in school.

During my externship, I had the opportunity to learn about the different departments and the organizational chart of the company, which was really insightful as it allowed me to learn more about the education and experience companies are looking for in applicants. I was able to observe the talent acquisition specialist use various search engines to look for qualified candidates for each of their job openings and was able to sit in on an interview they had with a prospective candidate. All of this was great information to learn, and I believe is vital for me to share with my students, so they can be exposed to various employment opportunities. Additionally, I was a part of team meetings and obtained insight on key characteristics that employees possess in order to succeed in the workforce, which I believe I can help students exemplify by creating activities where students are able to implement and practice these skills.

The last 100 hours of my externship experience consisted of wrapping up training modules and attending an all-hands meeting for all staff at Clenera. This allowed me to connect with other individuals from different departments that I hadn’t yet connected with. It also allowed me to learn more about the kind of culture they strive to create in their company, and I really enjoyed participating in the events Clenera put together to celebrate their 10-years as a company. Being able to experience and be a part of their team building activities reinforced my commitment to allow my students to have more opportunities to learn from, get to know, and understand the importance of teamwork & interacting with their peers on a daily basis.

All in all, this externship experience has also allowed me to build more connections and opportunities for students to be able to take advantage of & experience the different careers that are available to them in today’s workforce. I hope this experience will help me build student interest in being a part of different clubs and extracurricular activities that pertain to their career interests.