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For many college graduates entering their first job, navigating this big life change can be hard. Suddenly they find themselves separated from the safe cocoon of campus life and out into a challenging work environment where they must manage complex professional dynamics and adapt to new responsibilities.
This is nothing new for graduates from The Madeira School though.
At the girls’ college preparatory boarding and day high school situated on a breathtaking campus just outside of Washington, D.C., Madeira’s programmes provide its students with real-world experiences that go beyond academics, nurturing the skills, confidence, and curiosity necessary to thrive in any environment. And the impressive resumes they leave high school with help set them apart– thanks to Madeira’s unique Co-Curriculum programme that’s profoundly shaped careers, paved paths, and given front-row seats to significant moments in history.
In the past 50 years, The Madeira School has placed students in over 15,000 internships. Madeira students graduate with impressive resumes that rival those of university graduates. Source: The Madeira School
Award-winning Co-Curriculum programme
Many high school students today view internships as a valuable (and necessary!) stepping stone to their future career. The right internship can be extremely beneficial, enabling students to gain valuable work experience, build their confidence, and develop professional skills, all of which can make them highly sought after when entering the workforce.
However, only 2% of high school students have completed internships, according to a study by American Student Assistance, a nonprofit that helps middle and high schoolers with their school-to-work journey.
All Madeira graduates complete three internships over their four years and have been doing so for the past 50 years through an innovative programme that combines ambitious academics with real-world experience. Madeira’s mission is bold: launching women who change the world. “At Madeira, we believe in order to change the world, young women must first experience it,” says Christina Kyong, Head of School. “Our award-winning Co-Curriculum internship programme provides real world experience as students navigate the workplace. Madeira graduates are prepared with the confidence and the competence to change the world – for the better!”
Each Madeira student graduates with three internship experiences in various fields, a fact that is well-regarded by college admissions offices. For five weeks in sophomore, junior and senior years, they put their “classroom” work on hold and engage in immersive, real-world work experiences in community service, on Capitol Hill, and in a career interest or passion of their choosing. The internships take place in businesses, healthcare and research facilities, law firms, cultural and educational institutions, consultancies, non-profit centres, and political offices across the D.C. area and beyond (as some students coordinate internships in their hometowns).
Internships and networking opportunities include access to Madeira’s graduate network of over 6,000 highly successful women. The life-changing impact of the programme on Madeira students’ personal and professional growth is evident in their testimonials. Eliza Horne, a Madeira alumna who worked for a consulting group that creates educational programming, shares how her experience helped her learn more about her intended career path.
“I experienced both in-person and virtual professional work environments, learned new skill sets, and practised my time management and event-planning skills — all of which will help me as I transition to college,” she says. “I also enjoyed how this internship allowed me to have time for community service engagements.”
Meanwhile, Saanvi Paladugu interned at The George Washington University Cancer Center in Washington, D.C. “The critical thinking and observational skills I’ve learned as a Madeira student both inside and outside the classroom have helped enhance my experience at GW Cancer Center,” she says. “Because of this internship, I was able to see myself in a difficult but interesting career in medical research. As someone who wants to work in healthcare in the future, I am now not only interested in clinical care but also the research aspect of this field.”
These are powerful experiences. When a student takes part in immersive learning programmes, three things happen. They come to know themselves better, improve their practical know-how, and gain confidence and experience in their ability to apply knowledge in real-world contexts.
Even something as basic as a meal can turn into a big teaching (and networking) moment — delightfully so if it takes place in one of the country’s most important buildings. Student Emily Ramirez had the tremendous experience of attending a gala hosted by the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association where she met and connected with a wide range of congressional employees and mentors who identify as Latine.
“The event meant so much to me as I was able to connect with people who have experienced what being a Latine and/or Hispanic person on The Hill and in politics is like,” she says. “I’ll never forget all the support I felt from everyone in that room. It was incredibly empowering.”
Such connections are enduring. Long after graduation, The Madeira School students continue to benefit from the multitude of opportunities, knowledge, and experience they gained during their internships.
“I had a great experience with Co-Curriculum. All those writing skills and personal skills that I learned as a Madeira intern on the Hill are things that I still use today in my career,” says graduate Sara Akbar, Senior Director for Legislative Affairs and Technology Policy at US-India Strategic Partnership Forum.
“Everyone else I worked with was probably 23 or still in college, and they were incredibly intimidated to be on Capitol Hill. And I wasn’t, because this is what Madeira girls do.”
Visit The Madeira School’s website to learn more, or follow the school on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and X.
