News/Events

ALUMNI NEWS

Lauren Grunstein, Solomon Schechter WISE 2006 has created a new website called InternshipRatings.com. It is a site that allows students to rate their internship experiences in various industries across the United States. The site was released a few months ago and already has almost 100 internships rated. The website will soon feature advice on locating internships and making the internship a worthwhile experience. Lauren wrote: "My first internship was a result of the WISE program and I think that internshipratings.com can be a useful resource for many WISE students."

Widler Sanon, Nyack WISE 2003 is now a police officer in Brooklyn, NY.  Widler, who did a project in architecture and appears in one of our WISE videos, has offered to sponsor any students interested in criminal justice.

Rickie Thomassen, Nyack WISE 2003, recently participated in the Aids/Lifecycle ride, a grueling six day ride 545 miles long, from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise money for charity. 


Dan Caglione, Nyack WISE, 2000 has started a new website which includes a link to the WISE Services website.  The website, www.lifesladder.com, is designed to assist teenagers with defining their interests, finding their passion, and then making college and career choices based on their interests. 

Celia Lowe, Woodlands WISE 1993 writes, "I am about to reach my 4 year anniversary at the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office.  I've been doing domestic violence prosecution foro almost two years am just about ready to make another move so things are going very, very well!

We have recently received a number of reflections from Milken High School in Los Angeles.  Here are the latest:

Darren Brill, ’03, writes:

      “I graduated in May and took a job with Fox Sports Net in Los Angeles as their National Scheduling Coordinator. I wanted to tell you that everything really got started with the WISE program. After the program concluded, they offered me a paid internship which ended up lasting two summers. My third summer was spent as a production assistant with MLB on FOX. After I graduated, they offered me a position full time with FSN (the cable side, not KTTV). I also produce highlights on the side for MLB on FOX and NFL on FOX sporadically on the weekends. Participating in the WISE program was one of the best decisions I have ever made, allowing me to kick start my career at a time when a lot of my peers in college have started at the entry level.”

Carolyn Siegel, ’00, writes:

      Since graduating from Syracuse University in '04, I have worked for Ralph Lauren, IZOD, and most recently Calvin Klein Golf. Aside from my senior collection in college, the WISE program was the only other opportunity I had to design my own collection. As one of many fashion designers out there who dreams of having her own collection on the runways at Bryant Park, being able to design my own collection in high school let me live out part of my dream...Not everyone makes it to Bryant Park, but being able to share such a big part of who I am with my family and friends in that one moment in 2000 was a great accomplishment for me. It gave me a starting point to what will hopefully one day lead to my own collection - on the runways of New York Fashion Week.

Aliyah Phillips,’02, writes from Minsk, Belarus where she is spending a year working with a Jewish organization:

      The WISE program provided me with the perfect educational framework for my internship at the Israeli Consulate. I gained invaluable professional experience and was given the opportunity to work on projects that were meaningful to me. I also made important professional connections that are still valuable for me today.

Tova Leibovic, ’03, interned with a special education teacher and found her passion.  She is now applying to graduate school to become a special education teacher.

Kirsten Brill, ’05, took an internship in occupational therapy without really knowing about the field.  She was a student who found her direction and passion through this experience.  She writes: “I interned at Therapy in Action learning about pediatric occupational, physical, and speech therapy. Since then, I have had a few jobs at the clinic. This past summer I was the fine motor teacher at the clinic helping kids improve their handwriting and fine motor skills. The entire process has been very rewarding for me and I have learned so much from my mentors and my experiences. SO it comes as no surprise that I will be going to graduate school to earn my masters in Occupational Therapy!”

Adam Handwerker, ’07, interned in business with Westfield LLC, an internationally managed shopping center group.  He has continued to work for them since graduating from high school and is very appreciative of the opportunities he has had.   Thus far, he has had assistant positions in all of these departments:  Customer Service, Marketing, Development, Design, Human Resources, Payroll, and Information Technology (IT).  Next he is working in the legal department.    

The National Commission on the Senior Year in High School issues its final report and recommends that high schools: "PROVIDE MORE (AND MORE RIGOROUS) ALTERNATIVES