St. Benedict Preparatory High School Protégé Internship Program
St Benedict Preparatory High School (SBPHS) is pleased to announce the continuation of the Protégé Internship Program to the curriculum. The Protégé Internship Program engages the student in an experience outside of the classroom that will enrich their education and provide them with critical career insights. The Protégé Internship Program was created out of the desire to better prepare students for life after graduation by providing an arena in which their classroom learning is applied.
In college, students often declare a major with little comprehension of what it would really be like to work in that field. This program allows them to participate in real world work situations, encouraging a more pragmatic outlook of their future career choice.
A prerequisite to the program is the SBPHS Career Preparation class where the students explore career options, learn job seeking and keeping skills, and develop an employment portfolio. From a hands-on perspective, the student will have the opportunity to participate in the résumé, application, interview, hiring, and employment process.
An early afternoon dismissal allows students to work approximately 12-15 hours a week. Periodically, the student will return to the classroom to discuss successes and/or challenges experienced in the workplace.
Many of our local businesses will be joining us as partners in this program. If you are interested in having a SBPHS protégé at your place of business or would like to support one of the students, please call Suzanne Stone, Protégé Internship program director, at 773-509-3830 for further information.
This school year, our students in grades 9-12 all particpated in job shadowing. Our first year of shadowing has become quite a success. The students are engaged in unprecedented experiences even for most adults.
A few exciting highlights:
- Richard Butzen '16 shadowed a civil engineer at HBK Engineering
- Brittany Bejaberg '16 shadowed a pediatrician at the Near North Health Service Corp
- Casandra Romero '15 is shadowing at Weiss Memorial Hospital
- Nick Trujillo '15 will be shadowing at the Inspector General's Office for Chicago
Shadow Reflections
Anthony Cantu '14 "I went to LAZ and saw what really goes on behind the scenes. I saw people fixing meters and the ticket writers getting ready to leave. Everyone was really nice. I heard the calls come into the Call Center where the reps helped people over the phone. I had a chance to see how a big operation is run. I also attended meetings where the bosses decide what will be done. I'm glad I got to see what my dad did because I really wonder if I could do it or if I really wanted to do it. It seems it would be a lot of work."
Jake Neimanas ‘13 "I shadowed Commander Keller at the Chicago Fire Department Training Center. We were at the Fire Training Center on DeKoven Street on the South Side of Chicago. Commander Keller in in charge of the training of all the new recruits. He makes sure that every recruit for the City of Chicago receives all the training they will need to survive on the job. Additionally he does Research and Development for tactics and equipment for the Fire Department. I was thrilled to have this experience. I know it will help me in my future career opportunities."
Andrew Pendergast '16 "Working with computers is a harder job then you might expect. I recently shadowed an IT guy from Mercy Home for Boys and Girls. It is a non-profit Catholic charity that helps people who have troubles in school and family. AtMercy they have a lot of computers so they need a lot of help when it comes to technology. We talked about how important it was to make sure to keep up with all technology updates. It’s evolving all the time so you have to try to stay on top of it. You also need a commitment because it is not an easy job. But if you have a background in technology you have many job opportunities. I really enjoyed my shadow experience because I personally love computers, and people come to me when they need help with their computers. It’s really fun and never that boring, so I would recommend it to anyone who wants a job full of adventure."
James Cerda '15 "For my shadow day experience I thought about what new things I would be able to see and learn. I shadowed a radio broadcaster at Univision Radio. Her career was very interesting. I was amazed when I realized that if I were to say one thing, the whole world would be able to hear me. Out of the many people I could've shadowed I'm glad I shadowed her. I think that her job was one of the best experiences I could ever have."
Jasmine Gamboa '15 “Honestly, math is something that comes fairly easy to me. My grandmother, being the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Independent Publishers Group, told me that it would be a good experience to shadow her for a day. I took the opportunity. Taking the Brown line in the morning, being in the downtown area, surrounding myself with executives, were all things that I found myself looking forward to in the future.
My grandma started off by telling me how she has to plan out the company budget. "Simple enough", I thought. But then I came to realize this was no easy task. It wasn't like budgeting a grocery list. The allotted amount was in the seven figures.
Next, she told me how she had to analyze reports of stocks. She had spreadsheets of equity and debt and she had to do reports of the company's capital structure as well as evaluating the gross and net income of the company each month. First impression? Too many numbers. My grandma said she found it to be tranquil to work with numbers because math is black and white. For every problem, there is always a definite solution. On the contrary, I just found it to be the epicenter of a headache.
Shadowing my grandmother was a great experience because it exposed me to the financial side of a corporation. But through this experience, I realized that accounting isn't something that I want to do. It got me excited to think about other careers I may want to pursue. I surely look forward to doing more Protégé work in the future. It is a great opportunity to have the experience and get a feel for a future career."

To begin my day, I was given information about the trial I would later sit in on. I learned what an officer had to do to make a law abiding arrest. I was given an example of a police report and shown how each detail is crucial to the case. I'm very thankful for the opportunity to have been able to get that on hands look at a career I am very interesting in pursuing."
Zoe Tarantino '13 "I am interested in working in the Television and Writing business. I was able to shadow a student who worked for Columbia's television station. This was an extraordinary experience that gave me great ideas for my future. I was exceptionally impressed with Columbia's television department and hope I can be a part of it someday."

Randy Amil, Class of '14 "Architecture is a very challenging career and presents many ups and downs. If you're like me, a person who would enjoy a career in the arts, I can honestly tell you that you'll reward yourself with your own work. Architecture is not a career for just anyone. You need to be the person that enjoys walking down the street just because of the buildings.
Shadow Partners
|
Altair A&R Lurie Children’s Hospital AthletiCo B&J Tire Repair Banh Mi Beaubien Elementary School Berkley Nursing & Rehab Bethany Methodist Hospital CDW Classy Nails Chicago Fire Department Chicago Symphony Orchestra Columbia College Compu-Solutions, Inc. Department of Human Services Detroit Tigers Duke Animal Hospital Dwell by Architects, Inc. Estrella Negra Falconer Elementary School Foster Electric GiGi’s Playhouse Green Goddess Boutique HBK Engineering H&M Design Healthy Smiles Horizon Printing Humane Society Independent Publishers Group Ink Smith, Inc. Inspector General’s Office Landmark Heritage Realty Lawndale Christian Health Center LAZ Parking Loma Industries Loyola University MacNeal Clinic Mayfair Pumping Station |
Mercy Home Metra North Construction Project Metropolitan Mid Town Tennis Club Near North Health Service Corp. NEC Corporation of America NEIU Nether Realm Studios Northwestern Memorial Hospital Norwood Drugs Office of Inspector General Patterson Medical Peirce School Railroad Retirement Board Scammon School Shirley’s Beautique Social Security Administration Solberg Manufacturing St. Edward School St. Paul’s House St. Stanislaus Kosta State’s Attorney’s Office Swedish Covenant Hospital SymphonyIRI Group Thermal Chicago Corporation Transunion Travelers Insurance Tropicana University of Chicago University of Illinois Univision Communication UreSil Corporation U.S. Customs Warren Park Nursing Home Waterford Banquet & Conference Weiss Memorial Hospital Yellow Cab Yolk |






