Haley LeDuc

Staff Writer

While the rest of  Cal High students are sitting in class, seniors participating in the new iQuest class are off campus exploring their future careers.

Created by Principal Mark Corti and Careers in Teaching teacher Cindy Bonagura, iQuest offers seniors the opportunity to intern in a field in which they are interested so they can gain hands-on experience about a future in specific careers.

“It’s for anyone that wants to take control of their life, now,” said senior Wes Enos, who is looking to find an internship in chemical engineering.

This self-run course is most popular among students wanting to pursue careers in medicine or engineering, but it is not limited to those fields of study.

“I want kids to guide some of this,” said Bonagura. “Part of what makes this class unique is the student run curriculum.”

Anyone with drive is welcome to participate in the class, including students who still may be unsure of what they want to have as a career in the future.

The skills learned in iQuest, such as resume building, professional communications, and interview skills can be applied to any job.

“It’s real, it’s a job, it’s not a class where the teachers help you,” said senior Megan Lee, who hopes to intern at a physical therapy practice.

While many students are interested in medicine and engineering, others are interested in cosmetology, automotive repair, and restaurant entrepreneurship.

And while most participants see this as an opportunity for an internship, an alternative is a year-long student-produced project.

Upon approval, a project would be in the hands of the student involved in it. This project is also useful for those students who cannot travel to an internship or find an available internship in a desired field.

In fact, Bonagura said most companies have been tentative to the idea of using high school students from the iQuest class as interns.

“I believe it’s harder (to find an internship) because there’s no one networking for the program,” said senior Lindsay Nelson, who would like to eventually open her own restaurant one day.

But Bonagura still encourages the program, as some students have found mentors instead of internships.

“What we know about all of you is that you’re going to go to work someday and I want you to be happy with the work you’re doing,” said Bonagura.