As the school year comes to an end and the summer approaches, MSD students are planning how they will spend their almost 3-month long break. While some students are going on vacations and simply resting before the next school year, DECA Academy of Finance juniors will be fulfilling their requirement to be NAFTrack Certified by working paid internships.

Juniors who are a part of the DECA program are required to take on an internship over the summer of 120-150 hours of work. The hours will be determined by the employer, and interns will receive an hourly pay that is above the Florida minimum wage, which is currently $8.65 an hour.

The internship is chosen by the student, allowing them to choose a company in which they have a personal interest in. This internship is recommended to be during the five-week period from June 13 to July 15. Furthermore, no vacations are allowed during this five-week period.

“Internships help DECA students because it provides them with real world experiences, working with coworkers, and providing them with a paycheck,” Academy of Finance teacher and DECA advisor Lisa Webster said. “It allows them to see if they enjoyed working in a specific field, and it gives them a sense of accomplishment.”

One DECA junior working an internship over the summer is Isabella Ortega. She will be interning at Schwartz, Cole, and Associates, a full-service accounting firm. Ortega has never done an internship before but has had some experience in the working field as a tutor. Since Ortega is not fully sure as to what she will be doing in the future, she thought it would be nice to experience Accounting as a career.

“I think this internship is going to benefit me as it is mainly based on taxes, which is something everybody will have to do at some point in their life, so it will be nice to learn everything about them from a young age,” Ortega said.

Another DECA junior, Jordyn Klein, will be interning at the Kennedy Legal Team, which specializes in the personal injury field. Klein has been an intern before, as she worked as a camp counselor in the past summer. Since Klein has hopes of going into the medical field in the future, she felt that a personal injury firm had a good balance of medical aspects while also allowing her to gain exposure in another field.

“I think this internship will help me become more well-rounded and provide me with exposure to a field I haven’t really considered,” Klein said.

Searching for internships can be hard for students, but the DECA advisors make it easy for their students to find local paid internships. The finance teachers, Webster and Sharon Cutler, are constantly posting internship opportunities for students on Canvas and Remind, both popular school communication platforms.

Since DECA has had this internship requirement for quite a while, there are many companies partnered with the program that are willing to hire their students.

“I would advise students who are struggling to use the resources provided by Mrs.Webster and simply ask around. You would be surprised how many businesses are in need of extra help and the impact that us high school students can have,” Klein said.

The summer is soon approaching and DECA juniors are getting ready to take part in their internships, if they have not done so already. They will be able to experience a job environment, while also being a part of a company they are interested in.