By LINDA CHION KENNEY
With roughly 10 weeks to go before summer break, rising high school juniors and graduating seniors have until March 31 to apply for Hillsborough County on-the-job training internships.
Program dates are June 2 through August 1 for interns with the county’s parks and recreation department, and June 9 through August 1 for all other participating county departments.
“It’s a great opportunity for our young people to understand the working world,” said Kisha Perry, a recreation supervisor with Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation. “We teach and train and there’s hands-on opportunities to learn about every aspect of the job.
The Refining Internships for Student Empowerment (RISE) program last year drew close to 200 applicants for the paid internship program, according to Acquelyn Kindred, talent acquisition partner for the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC).
“Rising seniors and graduating seniors are basically our target audience, but we will take individuals who are 16 years or older into the program,” Kindred said.
The eight-week, summer break paid internship is an opportunity to earn $15 per hour while learning essential workplace skills. In addition to gaining a deeper understanding about the functions of a specific county department, interns learn more about Hillsborough County government, shadow experienced employees and develop lifelong skills valuable in life and work, including for resume writing, job interviews and personal development.
In a video testament to the merits of the program, James Stander, a RISE intern for public utilities, said, “Working here has definitely been very good for me, and I think it would be good for anyone who came here. It instills in you a work ethic that is almost unbreakable and helps you understand that serving your community is really a valuable thing that goes far beyond yourself.”
In addition to public works, the RISE program includes opportunities in both aging and children’s services, code enforcement, conservation and lands management, emergency management, fire rescue, fleet management, Head Start and human resources.
Rounding out the list are many more participating county departments, including library services, pet resources, public utilities, public works and Sunshine Line, which provides door-to-door transportation and bus passes for the elderly, people with disabilities and low-income residents for medical and social services appointments, grocery trips, health and wellness, personal business and more.
Perry is the recreation supervisor for the Gardenville region, which includes the Gardenville Recreation Center, the historic Gardenville Schoolhouse, Riverview Civic Center, Riverview Park and J.B. Gibson dog park, near the Walmart Supercenter in Gibsonton.
As a self-described “club kid” herself, Perry grew up in the community served by the Nuccio Recreation Center off Sligh Avenue, not far from her alma mater, King High School. Set to celebrate her 30th year with parks and recreation, Perry said she is a strong proponent of internship programs and the value they have for young people.
“It’s a great opportunity for our young people to understand the working world,” Perry said. “We teach and train and there’s hands-on opportunities to learn about every aspect of the job. They learn the job as if they were an employee.”
In addition to working in the center on day-to-day activities, the RISE program includes weekly meetings with human resources officials to cover life-work skills necessary for a successful future.
The eight-week program culminates in a graduation ceremony that draws parents, family members and supervisors, Perry said, as well as video highlights of each intern’s accomplishments and experiences working on site as a team member.
“One of my staff members went through the RISE program, and she’s still working here today,” Perry said. “I tell young people opportunity is everything. Take advantage of every opportunity you have. You never know where it will take you.”
And so it was for Aleeyah Saka, the Gardenville Recreation Center staff member who as a RISE summer intern and junior at Spoto High School first worked with Perry.
The RISE program “was very inclusive and it gave me insight into what life after high school would look like for me,” Saka said. “I felt like I was one with all the other staff members, and I gained valuable work experience.”
From paid intern to county employee, Aleeyah Saka, left, with recreation supervisor Kisha Perrry, is on the job at the Gardenville Recreation Center in Gibsonton.
Like Perry, Saka said she too grew up as a “club kid.” In Saka’s case, it was at the Gardenville Recreation Center in Gibsonton, where she interned in the summer of 2021 and landed her job two years later.
“The experience always is the number one thing you should pay attention to,” Saka said about considering any summer work experience, including as a paid or unpaid intern. “Whether it’s a good or bad experience, it’s always good to give something a shot.”
In her experience, Saka added, she learned that working as an intern “gives you a nice little head start to what’s next in your life after high school.”
For more on the county’s paid internship program, including application information, visit www.hcfl.gov/rise/.