From Westfield Grad to FCPS Insider: My Summer Internship Experience The following was written by Teresa Seraphin, a third year student majoring in journalism at the George Washington University. Teresa is a graduate of Westfield High School, who interned with Fairfax County Public Schools this summer in the Office of Human Resources. The Gatehouse Administration Center was a building I did not even know existed when I graduated from Westfield High School in 2023. But for the past six weeks, it has been where I report to work every morning. As a student at Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), I never stopped to think about the sheer number of people it takes to run a school system. In my head, there was the principal of Westfield, the superintendent, and the School Board. However, on my first day as an intern with FCPS, I learned that there are so many other people working behind the scenes to make sure students get to their classes safely, have well-developed and relevant curricula, and overall have a positive experience at school. This summer, I had the pleasure of interning with the Human Resources (HR) department. Summer is a critical time for HR as they host events, create employee guides, and support transitions to ensure everything is ready for the new school year. The HR interns – Katie Breighner, Olivia Zemba, Michael Pannutti, and me – supported the Talent Acquisition Management team’s job fair at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. More than 200 prospective teachers came to the event in hopes of becoming a teacher with FCPS. I shadowed the licensure table where individuals would learn the steps they need to take in order to become a licensed teacher. I met many people — from recent graduates with degrees in elementary education to a man with a law degree hoping to become a PE teacher. It was refreshing to see such eagerness to serve the public through teaching. Preparing for the Workforce The internship program had 20 interns in 10 different departments. Every Thursday we would come together for a professional development activity. We learned about communication, personal finance, resume building and networking. At every meeting, we learned ways to improve our professional performance to prepare ourselves for the workforce. Due to my background in journalism and communication, I had the opportunity to work with the Office of Communications during my time with FCPS. With the help of Social Media Manager Delaina McCormack and Communications Support Specialist Sarah Morris, I launched an Instagram account (@fcpsinterns) for the interns to highlight the work we have been doing this summer. Managing the Instagram account has given me a peek into what a digital media job could look like, and I loved every second of it. From the initial proposal and the first post to now having more than 200 followers, running this social media page has definitely been the highlight of my internship. Before this internship I have never had to create content for a brand – I have always had complete creative control. Designing for the intern page challenged me to be creative while still working within FCPS brand standards. McCormack and Morris taught me so much about accessibility in social media and presenting diversity online, all while prioritizing audience engagement. Being Inspired by Mentors Learning was central to this internship program. All of the interns can agree that their mentors and supervisors prioritized their learning experience. I had the pleasure of having Celeste Jones, HR business partner, and Beth Boivin, HR special programs manager, as my supervisors for this internship. Jones serves as internship coordinator. The interns grew to love her, always finding time to update her on their experiences. “I was so impressed at how comfortable they were with me because this was a brand new program,” Jones said. “It was a really nice, open relationship because I wasn’t their supervisor, so they could just ask me different things like ‘How do I do this?’ or ‘Can I come here?’” Her passion for the program and the interns is very evident to everyone around her. “I was just so impressed with our students and how diverse yet unified they are in their quest for learning,” Jones said. The second to last day of my internship was the day I had been looking forward to since the beginning of the program: Great Beginnings Summer Institute (GBSI). GBSI is a four day experience for new educators with FCPS to welcome them to the county. At GBSI, Hayfield Secondary School was buzzing with excitement as new teachers connected with each other, learned about their new roles, and gathered resources for the upcoming school year. The energy in the auditorium, hallways, library, and cafeteria reminded me of why I love the education field so much. This field is filled with people passionate about learning and creating positive experiences for new generations. My experience with the FCPS internship program reminded me of the importance of being passionate about the work you do. It was so clear to me that everybody at FCPS loves what they do. They dedicate everything they do to the students — even if the students (like me) have no idea they exist. The FCPS internship program was supported by Educate Fairfax and Apple Federal Credit Union.