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 Medical Center, 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.

Kaydin Frederick, a Trekkers 11th grader at Oceanside High School, served as an intern at Pen Bay Medical Center during the February school vacation. Kaydin had a clear interest in exploring lab science careers, so Michelle Jura, the administrative assistant with the Education department at PBMC, matched Kaydin with Trina Kuykendall and Mary McCallister in the NorDx Lab at PBMC. Kaydin rotated through the Anti-Coagulation Clinic, Clinical Research, the Blood Bank, Phlebotomy, and the NorDx Pathology Lab. She was also able to observe two pathologists, as they tested organ and tissue samples for signs of infection, cancer and other abnormalities. An integral part of the MaineHealth system, NorDx is the largest regional laboratory in the state of Maine, providing a full range of laboratory services including anatomic pathology, microbiology, molecular diagnostics and HLA (transplant lab).

Speaking of her experience with Trekkers' LEAP internship program, Frederick stated, "I was taking in so much information that I didn't have time to come up with questions. I would be sitting at home, later in the evening, and suddenly come up with lots of questions to ask the next day. I was hoping that I would be able to narrow down my interests, figure out what I don't like, but that didn't happen. Instead, I see that there are even MORE paths open to me. I particularly enjoyed phlebotomy and pathology, though."

Speaking of her involvement with the LEAP program, NorDx assistant chief medical technician Mary McCallister said, "Kaydin seemed very receptive to all the areas within the lab we exposed her to. She was enthusiastic and asked many good questions with regards to the specific area she was in ... We very much enjoyed Kaydin." Michelle Jura, an administrative assistant in the Education department who set up the internship, said of LEAP, "I appreciated the program greatly and feel that it is very beneficial to our community. It helps our young people gain the life experiences needed to become focused adults who will take an active role in the function of their community."

Trekkers' Caitlin Clark remarked, "It is rare for students this age to have clear professional goals, and yet decisions about academic preparation, choosing a major, and decisions about college or other postsecondary training all rest upon the assumption that students know what they want to do. LEAP gives students a platform to explore career possibilities, network within the local community and practice a set of professional skills that will serve them well in any career. The Midcoast community has been very supportive of this program, and the Trekkers organization is tremendously grateful to the host organizations and mentors who guide our students."
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 postsecondary 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 trekkers.org or contact the Trekkers office (207) 594-5095.