A Look into Senior Externships

In 1970 president of the Student Curriculum Committee David Kelso '70 conceived of the idea for the May Program, where seniors spend their last month on The Holy Hill immersed in externships rather than in the classroom. In Kelso's words, "Getting out in the 'real world' before a relatively unfettered college experience seemed like a good idea." Over 50 years later, the program is integral to every student's experience.

The externship program has ignited our seniors’ creativity and empowered them to explore passions and advance talents through four weeks of purposeful work. Read a few highlights about how members of the Class of 2023 explored the “real world”this past month as compiled by EHS Communications extern and future Villanova University Wildcat, Audrey Dearlove '23.

Claude Morris — D.C. Court of Appeals
After taking Legal Principles and Trial Advocacy with EHS General Counsel Stefanie Smith, Claude Morris knew he wanted to pursue a career in law. As part of that course, the entire class completed mock trials before D.C. Court of Appeals Judge The Honorable John P. Howard III. Impressed with Morris, Judge Howard offered him an externship to pursue his interest further.

Representing the highest court in the district, the D.C. Court of Appeals functions as a state-level Supreme Court. The Court of Appeals reviews all final orders and judgments of the D.C. Superior Court, which is a the trial court. During his externship, Morris mainly reviewed decisions and wrote opinions for Judge Howard.

"Finishing an opinion and having the opportunity to share my thoughts with a Judge with decades of experience is priceless." He credits EHS with aiding him in his professional development skills and the expertise to prepare written law opinions. "Ms. George's Advanced U.S. History class taught me the importance of attention to detail and citations," he explained. "This helped with my transition in learning different styles and provided a foundation for me to succeed in Judge Howard's office."

A future General, Morris plans to attend Washington and Lee University in the fall on the pre-law track.

Faith Familua — St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes Middle School
In February, Faith Familua graced Fox Stage in Pendleton Hall as the main character of the EHS winter musical. After completing her role as Belle from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," she set her sights on an equally taxing yet gratifying position — empowering the next generation with her acting knowledge. She chose to extern in the theater department at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes Middle School.

Familua shadowed classes, provided student feedback, and implemented her technical theater skills. She also constructed a lesson plan built around the curriculum and taught a class. "I've always wanted to work with kids," she said. "The externship provided a perfect opportunity to combine two of my passions — teaching and theater."

EHS German teacher and Familua's vocal coach Frau Professor Hannah Ellington '03 said, "It brings us joy in the music department to watch her spread her wings.”

"Frau Professor Ellington and Mr. Schmidt taught me the same lessons that I now get to pass on to the next generation," Familua said "It's a full circle moment. I can give the same feedback to younger actors that helped me. It genuinely made a difference for them."

Timur Chukin and Dasha Krasovskaya — Building Momentum
Timur Chukin and Dasha Krasovskaya externed for Building Momentum during their senior May. Founded in 2014, the company is a problem-solving organization based in Alexandria, Va., that pushes the boundaries of what people can learn and build. According to their website, they have a mission to "solve problems creatively, efficiently, and empathetically and to inspire and empower clients and the community to do the same for themselves."

Chukin and Krasovskaya learned about the daily activities at Building Momentum during an Advanced Engineering flexperience, which ultimately inspired them to choose the location for their externship. The owners, Brad Halsey and Albert Vega, Ph.D., spent a year in Afghanistan and Iraq, working alongside active duty service members to develop creative solutions to their most challenging problems. The duo has trained over 5000 active duty service members, 1000 students, and hundreds of executives and professionals in 3D printing, welding, computer-aided design (CAD), laser cutting, woodwork, and coding.

During his first week, Chukin learned how to use all of the various machinery, allowing him to facilitate workshops in the office for the remainder of the month. He grew more passionate about his career choice and acquired new skills to aid him in his next steps. "My externship helped me define my goals while allowing me to teach others and learn how to problem solve," the recent graduate expressed. "I see myself doing this long term and becoming an electrical engineer." After his initial training, Chukin guided field trips, taught workshops for all ages, and trained new hires. His most rewarding experience? "Having the opportunity to teach special education students," he said. "Seeing students learn and get excited about problem-solving was extremely rewarding."

Through this externship, Krasovskaya leaned into one of her biggest passions — learning. She also helped conduct different workshops and field trips, but her biggest takeaway was allowing herself to learn more about different engineering tools. "Building Momentum was a memorable externship," she said. "I found myself grasping new material that I got to utilize during my time with the company. It pushed me to acknowledge my love for engineering."

As a company with less than 25 employees, Building Momentum quickly embraced Chukin and Krasovskaya as valuable team members. According to the manager Cecily Wynne, "Our externs took this experience in full stride and vastly exceeded all our expectations. We are excited to see all they accomplish during their collegiate careers." 

Lara Georgia Guimarães Noronha — ArtSpireVa
Lara Georgia Guimarães Noronha decided to inspire herself through her externship at ArtspireVa. This multifaceted nonprofit organization provides scholarships for youth to experience the fine and performing arts, and inspires, uplifts, and heals those in need through dance performances. Noronha's main tasks at the nonprofit were researching grants and teaching dance classes for the program.

At Artspire, Noronha taught dance classes to younger aspiring artists. Inspired by her EHS dance teacher Adrienne Taylor-Wilson, she specifically decided to teach tap combos. "Connecting Lara Georgia to ArtspireVa for her externship could not have been easier," Taylor-Wilson stated. "Her love of the arts and helping others made it a perfect match." Noronha found the externship extremely rewarding, which further confirmed her future plans.

Originally from Brazil, Noronha transferred to Episcopal as a junior and immediately got involved with the art program. She refined her craft through dance classes, performances in the winter musical, and exhibitions like the art showcase. By the end of winter 2022, she was a force on the dance team, playing Brooke Windham in the 2022 winter musical “Legally Blonde” while also serving as a leader on dorm and in the classroom. Having found her passion through the dance program, Noronha will continue to enhance her skills next fall during her arts fellowship at Sewanee: The University of the South. "I always want art to be a part of my life," she said. "Nonprofits like ArtspireVa allow me to fuse my passions of working with the community and continuing my dance career."

Caroline Nolan — Boundary Street Capital
As the vice president of the Student Investment Group (SIG) and founder of the Women in Finance club, Caroline Nolan unsurprisingly burst into the finance field for her externship. She found her way to Boundary Street Capital in Old Town Alexandria. "I've learned a lot about different areas of the finance profession. From leveraged loans to capital markets," she said. "Working alongside the employees, grasping different concepts, and displaying my finance knowledge has been eye-opening and inspiring."

Founded in 2018, Boundary Street Capital focuses on support for growing businesses in the digital infrastructure and services sectors. This niche market helps small businesses in all stages of development.

While Nolan plans to major in finance at Wake Forest University this fall, she credits EHS for allowing her to explore her passion on a deeper level not only through the externship but also during her time at the School. As a member of the highly regarded SIG, Nolan and her teammates oversee a portfolio of $80,000 for the School. Their monthly meetings allow these students to have experience managing a portfolio and pitching stocks to buy or sell.

"Caroline has been one of the more active members in the SIG since she joined in the 10th grade," faculty advisor to SIG and CFO Boota deButts '76 said, "As Vice President of SIG this year and head of the research team she served as a leader and role model for the rest of the members. Her investment knowledge and ability to present and explain financial topics to the rest of the group will be missed."

Determined to shatter the glass ceiling during her senior year, Nolan founded the Women in Finance club to "teach high school-aged girls financial literacy and remove the stigma often associated with the finance industry." Her enthusiasm and passion surrounding the finance sector have shined through at Episcopal thanks to her dedication and personal mission of advancing women in the field. "I've always lived by the statement, 'if you're going to do something, do it full out,'" she explained. "I want to make sure I left Episcopal better than I found it, and I can say wholeheartedly that I have accomplished everything I wanted to do."

Malik Stute — Nike Headquarters
Malik Stute traveled across the country for his externship in Portland, Ore., at Nike's headquarters. During his four weeks in the pacific northwest, Malik had one-on-one meetings with different divisions that offered him "unique perspectives and insights" about the North American sector of the company. He also spent the month shadowing the general manager and vice president of the North American kids' department, Karrie Connor.

"Whether it was talking to people in the different departments of the North American Kids sector, the security guards, or higher-up directors of Nike, Episcopal did a great job helping me communicate effectively and professionally," Malik said.

As captain of the 2022-23 boys' basketball team, Stute has always loved sports, making his externship an easy adjustment. "To be able to view in person how one of the biggest sports companies in the world operates on a day-to-day basis was extremely beneficial for me because I got to view the ins and outs of the industry." During his time at EHS Stute became a more confident and outspoken leader for The Class of 2023, skills that clearly served him well during his time at Nike and will continue to do so University of Miami in the fall.

Will Snead and Michael Craig — Jeffrey J. Kimbell & Associates
Transitioning from The Holy Hill to Capitol Hill, Will Snead and Michael Craig externed at lobbying firm Jeffery J. Kimbell & Associates. During their externship both seniors watched and summarized many hearings held by the Senate and House of Representatives.

"Episcopal taught me how to be more outgoing and independent, which helped me transition into the workforce for the last month," reflected Craig. As one of the few senior transfers, he became an active member in many facets of campus life but was particularly interested in political clubs. "Politics affect everything we do in our country, and it directly impacts our daily lives. I want to instill change through this landscape, so this externship served as a stepping stone." He looks forward to becoming a tiger this fall at Clemson University, where he plans to pursue a degree in political science.

Snead has always focused on politics during his time at Episcopal, most notably serving as the president of the Young Democrats club. Although he has taken part in several other externships, he shared that this was his most rewarding and unique experience. "I had the opportunity to be on the Senate floor during a hearing, and it was such a surreal moment for me," he said. "It's a moment that I will never forget, and I hope one day I'll be able to come back to the Senate floor as a staffer — or even a senator." While Snead is heading off to Sewanee: The University of the South in the fall, we look forward to seeing him back in D.C. one day in the future!