Sophomore Shawnice Taylor was brand new to HHS last year, and although she is still making up her mind about what exactly she wants to do later in life, she is taking advantage of all the opportunities given to her. She participated in the school’s Groundhog Job Shadowing Day, and also was able to go on a second hotel trip this spring. In both cases, she toured the hotels and met with representatives from different departments, such as Human Resources and Front Desk. Her biggest takeaway from these experiences is the emphasis on the soft skills. “It’s a very friendly and happy place to work,” she says. And now that she is applying for a summer internship, she knows that in her interview “[the HR manager] looks for you to be able to smile a lot since that is what they do.”

Shawnice was one of the few 9th grade students allowed to participate in the summer internship program, where slots are usually filled by upperclassmen. Her World Studies teacher, Ms. Mulvehill, believed Shawnice will have no problem rising to the challenge and is capable of handling the responsibility of the Summer Internship Program: “Shawnice stood out as one of the most mature 9th graders - she is kind and respectful and I am not surprised that she has applied to be a part of the Summer Internship Program.”

Shawnice has a positive relationship with her teachers who she believes truly care about student success. As she says, “The teachers really help, when you don’t understand something they say that you can come after school and they’ll explain it more in depth.”