Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy Upper School recently announced a new upper school internship program that facilitates students’ ability to gain real-life workplace experiences prior to graduation.

This initiative is spearheaded by Kamal Haron, a member of the school’s Board of Incorporators and a grandfather of a BCHA upper school student.

“BCHA is truly blessed with lay leaders who seek to provide the very best resources to ensure the success of our students both during and after their years as students in our school,” said Rabbi Tzvi Bernstein, head of school at BCHA. “The internship program conceived by Mr. Haron is a perfect example of how our partnership with our stakeholders benefits our students now and in the long term future.”

Rabbi Shimmy Trencher, principal of the BCHA upper school, said that he believes the purpose of education at BCHA is to prepare their students to be confident and competent contributors to the world. “The internship program supports this objective by helping students make the connection between what they learn in school and what they can contribute outside of school, and we’re extremely grateful to Kamal Haron for helping us to make this program a reality,” he said.

The program builds on the existing internship program, during which 12th graders spend May of their senior years in various workplaces. Now, students in grades nine through 11 will have the opportunity to be connected with internship opportunities during their summers. Students have already started participating in shadow days at work sites that match their interests, allowing them to learn about the workplace and prepare themselves for an internship experience.

Additionally, Meghan Fernandez, director of College Counseling at BCHA, along with Jen Takacs, Human Resources director for OneWall Communities, are arranging seminars to help students learn how to behave in a workplace, how to apply for a job, how to write a resume, how to interview and much more. Takacs recently ran a Zoom seminar for BCHA students called, “Backpacks to Briefcases.”