During the last two months of school, underclassmen are able to gain a few more privileges on campus: a seemingly roomier hallway, a far more spacious lunch room and a chance to secure preferable parking spaces free of criticism. The reason for this, of course, is the fact that the entire senior class has left Staples behind for new opportunities and experiences through their internships.

While many seniors tend to stay local when they intern, Dylan Diamond ’17 escaped the comfort of Connecticut entirely and ventured off to California. There, he landed an internship at the car company Tesla, where he gets the chance to work on projects and learn from others who work there.  

“I’ve always been super passionate about Tesla as a company and while the car is amazing, our mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy is what drives me to work here,” Diamond said.

Known by the Staples community for his helpful and innovative school-related apps, like myHAC and iStaples, Diamond is no stranger to the world of technology or Tesla as a company. “I built an app to control the Tesla,” Diamond explained. “After its success, I was fortunate enough to interview and ultimately get offered an internship for the summer.”

Diamond’s history with app-creation and his evident interest in technology itself has made his internship with Tesla a success thus far. The impact the company has had on him during his short time there has made him confident that the experience he has gained will stay with him in the future.

“So far it’s just really cool being here and seeing everything from an inside perspective,” Diamond said. “It’s hard work and I’m living away from home, but I think it’s a unique opportunity that is most certainly worth it.”

Angus Fuori ’17 is another student who found an internship that caught his attention. While he stayed more local than Diamond and interns with the biology research team at Yale, his experience with the team has been positive nonetheless.

“I saw the internship listed on the SHS internship website and I knew that I would enjoy it since I’m really interested in [the biology] field,” Fuori said.

During his time at Yale, Fuori hopes to expand his knowledge of biology, as he wants to benefit from this experience in order to pursue a similar career in his future. “I want to further my understanding of lab science protocols and neurophysiology,” he said.

Fuori mentioned that he has already participated in research experiments with the team that are intriguing, which also grant him the opportunity to step into the shoes of someone who takes on this job for a living.

Just like Fuori, Sarah Barnett ’17 makes the commute to New Haven to intern with the Yale biology team. Her love for science and interest in the brain pushed her to gain more experience and understanding, as she’ll head to Dartmouth for their Pre-Med program for the next few years. Barnett also hopes her internship will help influence the major she decides to focus on.

“I expect to gain real world insight about scientific research, and hopefully steer myself toward a certain major,” Barnett said. “I’m currently between biochemistry and neuroscience.”

Similarly to Fuori, Barnett expressed her thorough enjoyment of her time at Yale and the chance to witness the process of what happens in a real laboratory.  

“So far, my favorite part has been observing the process of getting the brain slices, which is a very strict procedure that’s done right in the lab,” Barnett explained.

While the change from the Staples environment to a new internship was drastic, these students were eager to begin a new journey through their internships.