Gunston’s Senior Internship Program takes place during the last two weeks of the school year. Working in conjunction with the Assistant Head of School, advisors, and parents, students design a meaningful internship experience. Students’ internships experience range from healthcare, education, non-profits, banks, government offices, environmental agencies, law offices, private businesses, television and radio stations, among a myriad of other placements. While at work, students experience firsthand the importance of being prompt, meeting deadlines, interacting with the public, and following through with tasks. 

A special thank you to the individuals and businesses who offered this opportunity! Chestertown River Arts, Rell’s Auto Repair, Office of the States Attorney, NOAA, DNR, Chesapeake Light Craft, WHCP Radio, Gunston, Kent School, Paul Reed Smith Guitars, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Walter Reed Medical Center, Modern Stone Age Kitchen, Anne Arundel Urology, Shore Legal Access, Optimal Physical Therapy, Tilghman Watermen Museum, Echo Hill Outdoor School, Chesapeake Parrot Sanctuary, Kent County Public Schools, American Saltwater Guides Association, Saddleback Mountain, Benson & Mangold Real Estate, Beebe Heath Care Hospital, OssDsign Orthobiologics, MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation, Lane Engineering, NUWC Keyport Naval Undersea Warfare Center, For All Seasons, McCallister, DeTar, Showalter, and Walker Law Firm, Easton Dermatology Associates, RE+ Clean Energy Event, NBC News, Caroline County SPCA and Dr. Horace Wood Oral Surgery. 

Maren Kneeland and Annabelle Sinatra worked with Policy Director of the American Saltwater Guides Association Tony Friedrich, P’27 with the goal of learning more about policy-making through the lens of environmental lobbying. During the week, Maren and Annabelle met with attorneys in the National Resource Defense Council to discuss current environmental advocacy plans at the federal level, and met with the top directors of NOAA while sitting in on a multilateral meeting to discuss environmental objectives for the agency. The internship concluded with a trip to D.C. in which the interns attended Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW) conferences and were privileged enough to attend a Senate Reception dinner.

Tilghman Overton definitely traveled the farthest for his internship, on a medical mission to Honduras. “I assisted in orthopedic and breast oncology surgeries, worked in the dental clinic, pharmacy, and farm as a general volunteer. My time there was incredible and I gained amazing experience!”

Colin Hallmark also chose the medical field, interning at a urology practice. “I sat in on clinical appointments as doctors met with patients to discuss next steps and observed the treatment process in the operating room. This experience made me excited about the path that I am on going into college and it was a super cool way to end my time at Gunston.”

Ben Cook interned at the WHCP radio station in Easton, where he focused his time on doing analytic marketing and brainstorming new ideas for radio segments.

Abigail Houseknecht spent two weeks at the Sudlersville Middle School’s nurse's office. “Over the past two weeks I have been able to work alongside my Mom and have been learning how to be a school nurse! I have been in-serviced by a nurse delegate as a designee to administer medications. Not only have I been able to address students’ physical health needs I have been able to address their social and emotional needs as well. Interning at a Title 1 school has shown me that emotional support bandages and ice packs go a long way.”

Rowan Lutz dove into Gunston’s archives that spans 113 years of history to help catalog, organize and transcribe oral histories and photographs. “I have been working with Mrs. Thomas doing archival logging, as well as inventory. I spent some time doing inventory for the Parents’ Association room. I have transcribed tapes of alumni who attended in the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. The oral histories were recorded in the 80’s and I was able to listen to an alumni recalling their experiences at Gunston. I have also been sorting documents and photographs in the archival room. That includes sorting photographs into decades and organizing them, as well as digging up past documents that have gone untouched for decades.”

Josie Merton has been using her creative skills to create content for Gunston. “I have been working in Gunston’s External Relations Department, creating content and dabbling around with archival materials. If you have been wondering why a massive blue bird has been waddling around the school, Kate Porter and I have been working on a super entertaining video that required me to wear the heron mascot for days. Although wearing the mascot was unexpected, I have been having an amazing time! Not only have I been creating content, but I have also been looking at old photographs and exploring the history of Gunston.”

Gabriella Hodge spent her time at the Chesapeake Parrot Sanctuary in Annapolis, Md.“I had already volunteered here before and decided I would love to do this as my internship. I cleaned cages, played with the birds, helped with food and toys. I have really bonded with the birds during the time spent with them.”

Sedona Bell spent her time learning how to run and manage a farm. “I also learned how to keep up with the needs of the animals and how to properly interact with clients and their needs. I learned what farriers look for when shoeing a horse and I also watched many horses get vetted so they could continue being healthy.”

Thomas Callahan worked at Chesapeake Light Craft, learning about the construction and manufacturing of wooden boat kits.

Mariner Schut spent time at Kent School in Chestertown. “It was fun. It gave me a great opportunity to do service in my community and help teach kids art which has always been a passion of mine.”

Kate Porter worked on marketing projects for Gunston’s External Relations Department. “Josie Merton and I got to run around campus in the Heron costume filming. We also got to look through archival material and learn more about Gunston's long history.”

Shawn Barry interned with the Chestertown River Arts Studio, helping with the upcoming June in Bloom Art Exhibition that begins Friday, June 7th. “I spent time writing and proofreading emails, creating flyers and brochures for upcoming events, setting up installations for exhibit rooms, painting and cleaning the showroom, and ensuring all artists were in the system for their showcase on opening night. I also prepared ballots, work/piece labels for the art itself, and any manual labor work needed. As my time ends at River Arts, there is no doubt that an experience like this provided the hands-on experience of what an Arts Studio manages daily, alongside the lovely, kind, and encouraging staff within their organization.”

Caitlin Myers interned with the MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation in Jacksonville, Florida. The MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation, founded by former professional tennis player MaliVai Washington, is an after-school and summer youth development program in Jacksonville's Urban Core that promotes academic achievement and positive life skills. “I learned a lot about non-profit operations, as I helped the foundation transfer from after-school to summer programming. I also helped kick off their first week of summer camp. I saw first hand the important role nonprofits serve in helping communities.”