THOMASTON — Trekkers' LEAP program (Launching Empowered and Aspiring Professionals) has now entered the internship phase. Six high school juniors have been placed in 40-hour paid internships in the local business community. These internships are coordinated by Trekkers Internship Coordinator Caitlin Clark. The goal of the internships is to help students connect their developing interests and passions to real-world employment experiences.

The participating organizations include Pen Bay Healthcare, Alexis Iammarino in conjunction with The Steel House, VSTV, Bay Chiropractic, In Good Company, and Penobscot Bay YMCA. Trekkers' LEAP Program is made possible, in part, by a gift from the Leon Lowenstein Foundation, Inc.

Katherine "Kat" Howarth, a Trekkers 11th grader at Oceanside High School and the Alternative program, served as an intern with Alexis Iammarino, a local artist and art educator. Kat was interested in exploring a career in art, and Alexis had worked with Kat previously during Rockland After School Alliance programs. Kat worked alongside Alexis as she prepped for Saturday Studio sessions at the Rockland Community Building. She helped paint the mural at the Community Building, and also participated in an Arts in Action project at the Rockland Public Library.

Arts in Action is an after school program run by RSU 13 Adult and Community Education, and Kat helped paint a book mural on the landing of the staircase leading downstairs. Check it out the next time you are there! Alexis also served as a mentor for an individual art project of Kat's own choosing. Alexis Iammarino is an artist based out of the Steel House who engages the community in public art projects, including the Farnsworth Museum's Oak Street mural. Alexis teaches art at Sweet Tree Arts, RSU 13 Adult and Community Ed, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, the Steel House and is the Creative Arts Coordinator for the Wayfinder School's Camden campus.

Trekkers' Internship Coordinator Caitlin Clark remarked, "Working with Alexis allowed Kat to explore her own art and see how an artist is able to make a living and use her artistic skills at the same time. Alexis has been an invaluable mentor to Trekkers students and many other local youths. We are lucky to have her in our community!"

In April, the six LEAP students, along with their fellow 11th grade Trekkers, will be participating in a 10-day College/Career Exploration expedition. In that program, each student researches careers of interest and selects up to two institutions of higher learning that they want to visit during the expedition. At the end of the expedition, the students are equipped with a list of insights and personal preferences to help guide their post-secondary pursuits. At a time when they are focused on their future, the LEAP internship program is a logical first step for informing the students' college/career program in the spring.

For more information about these 11th-grade programs, go to www.trekkers.org or contact the Trekkers office (207) 594-5095. Trekkers is a non-profit outdoor-based mentoring program that connects young people with caring adults through expeditionary learning, community service and adventure-based education. This year, Trekkers will serve more than 200 7th through 12th-grade students from the communities of Cushing, Owls Head, Rockland, South Thomaston, St. George and Thomaston.