Priory in the City: Networking, Mentoring, and Internships in Honolulu

Priory

Feature

in the

City

Networking, Mentoring, and Internships in Honolulu

By Marcie Uehara Herring Director of Career Counseling

H

ow did The Priory at St. Andrew’s Schools, founded in 1867 by Queen Emma, innovate to become the first school in Hawai‘i to offer a three-year networking, mentoring and internship experience for high school students?

The design process started when a think tank envisioned career and life coaching for students and saw the potential of leveraging the school’s location to launch Priory in the City (PIC).

The Priory is footsteps from the Hawai‘i State Capitol, Honolulu Hale, medical centers, business and financial districts, art museums, galleries and nonprofit organizations. The school’s prime location extends the classroom beyond four walls.

For PIC students, downtown Honolulu is the new classroom.

Future doctors, scientists, designers, artists, engineers, psychologists and attorneys work with industry professionals to design real-world projects to meet community needs. When Abby was a senior at The Priory, she interned with an international team of scientists from China, Japan, Italy and the United States to work on finding a cure for a rare form of cancer. Abby said, “This is my dream internship!” Although the University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center usually accepts only college students, Dr. Yang gave Abby this special opportunity because of her passion and previous lab experience.

Nina, a senior interested in computer science, met Mr. Jung, a South Korean Altino car developer, at an Oceanit

Kūlia FALL/WINTER

Marcie Herring, Career Coach Sophia Sansano ‘18

workshop. After the session, Nina took her newly acquired coding skills back to St. Andrew’s and taught elementary students how to code in C language. Second graders had the opportunity to learn about autonomous cars, and to envision a future with technological advances. Nina said, “I hope to encourage students, especially girls, to enter science, technology, engineering and math fields.”

When Kamryn was a senior, she noticed the PIC classroom did not match the innovative learning environments her classmates were experiencing in workplaces. With help from designers Judy and Kenya, Kamryn utilized design thinking principles and her artistic skills to create a new design studio. With no budget, Kamryn sought donations from her personal network and community partners. She created spaces for collaborative group and independent work. She also featured an art wall with photos of students at internship sites with their mentors.

personality, values and interests. They envision their future, explore possibilities and achieve their goals.

Parents as Coaches

How can you prepare your child for his future career? Listen to his interests. When Luke was in kindergarten he said, “I want to be an aerodynamics engineer.” Luke and his dad, Kevin, watch documentaries about airplanes, aeronautical companies and space exploration. When Luke was in the first grade, he visited the Boeing Everett Factory in Washington to see planes being assembled. At St. Andrew’s, Luke and his classmates learn about the engineering design process – 1. Ask, 2. Imagine, 3.

Plan, 4. Create, and 5. Improve. This summer, Luke is enrolling in the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum’s camp to learn about science, aviation and aerospace. Kevin said, “We curate learning experiences that provide opportunities for Luke to explore his passions and develop relevant skills.”

Mark of Mentors

Why are mentors critical for internships? Mentors play an important role in introducing students to various careers and the workplace environment. Mentors share knowledge and insights specific to their industry as well as professional skills such as imagination and vision; effective speaking and writing; teamwork and collaboration; critical thinking and problem solving; agility and adaptability; initiative and leadership; and data analysis and resourcefulness.

How can you prepare your teenager for her future career? Ask your teen what career she is considering. Help her find volunteer, work or internship experiences that align with her career interests. When I was in high school, I thought about being a doctor. My mom helped me volunteer at a hospital. After my hospital experience, I decided that the medical field was not for me. That experience was incredibly valuable because it helped me narrow my career choices. I knew I wanted to help people and am grateful I chose a career in counseling and coaching.

What is the benefit of career coaching? Career coaching provides an opportunity for students to custom design their college, career and life path to contribute in meaningful ways. Students work collaboratively with their career coach through a series of conversations, assignments and projects. Students learn about opportunities and careers that fit their natural talents,

Gallup research finds that people who use their strengths are more engaged and productive at work and three times more likely to have an excellent quality of life. Over 150 years after The Priory was founded by Queen Emma, it is a privilege to develop leading initiatives like PIC that help students utilize their strengths to design college and career pathways.

In Memory of Beloved Grandmother

Noreen Stollberg Mahalo nui loa to the late Robert and Noreen Stollberg for making a planned gift to St. Andrew’s Schools to support the Priory in the City program for students to gain professional experience and find their best place in the world. Noreen Davies Stollberg, grandmother of Jemma Stollberg ’24, was over 100 years old when she passed away on December 24, 2018. She worked for a number of years in the nursing field, serving as a civilian nurse in Panama in 1941 and 1942. When she and Jemma played dominoes together, they often won and their team was called “The Red Heads,” as seen in the accompanying photo.

Jemma’s grandfather Robert Stollberg was a professor at San Francisco State University and also taught science to local teachers in Uganda, India and Taiwan. He and Noreen were married for 61 years before he passed away in 2004.

We are grateful to the Stollberg and Fast families for financial support and for recognizing Priory in the City as an exemplary career exploration experience at St. Andrew’s Schools and choosing to suppport its growth and expansion.