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Externships: What’s Next at RE New program allows students to explore and learn outside of the classroom
Students at Ransom Everglades are stepping out of the classroom and into real workplaces through an exciting new program that is tapping into the power of the RE network. Designed to offer meaningful forays into various careers, the RE Explorer Externship Program helps students sharpen their future focus while also developing marketable skills and habits.
Whether connecting with accomplished professionals who share career insights on campus, or participating in career experiences off campus, Ransom Everglades students are engaging in a new realm of experiential learning that offers fresh challenges and inspiring interactions. In many cases, they are strengthening their ties to the RE community.
This summer, select RE students will experience financial analysis and data reporting at Cassel Salpeter & Co. mentored by Phil Cassel ’03. At Idea Financial, under the supervision of Co-founder and President Larry Bassuk ’00, students will learn how technology-enabled lending works in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment. And for students with a passion for self-expression, Michael Toccin ’03, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at Toccin in New York, will offer an inside look at the mechanics of fashion merchandising and design, while Eric Poses ’91, owner of All Things Equal, Inc., will provide a glimpse inside the world of game development.
RE students will also shadow doctors at Baptist Health South Florida, observing the patient journey from diagnosis to the operating room, and learn the nuances of pediatric dentistry at All Smiles Dentistry, under the guidance of Rebecca Lenard ’04. Each of these partners is providing something a textbook cannot: the human element in professional life.
I frequently get the question, “How are externships different from internships?” Externships are shorter, unpaid and focused on exploration rather than extensive job training. They are designed to help a student decide if a field is the right fit before they commit to a four-year degree or a long-term internship.
“You can help transform their intellectual curiosity into civic engagement and professional readiness.”
Jenny Gragg Carson ’03
This special program launched on campus last fall with a Lunch and Learn series that brought interesting professionals to the Ransom Campus for conversations with students. The series included Bassuk; Toccin; Veronica Alcorta ’96, Director of Merchandising for Bulgari; Danielle Squires ’03, a pediatrician; and Seth Cassel ’98, Co-founder of DosMundos.
Students who go off campus with our externships may choose from two levels of engagement:
- Expeditions (Extended Immersion): Designed primarily for rising juniors and seniors during the summer, Expeditions last a minimum of one business week. These are immersive, skill-based journeys where students tackle meaningful tasks or projects. Whether it’s drafting marketing materials at an investment bank or observing a surgical procedure, Expeditions provide valuable insights that will allow students to make informed decisions about their college majors and future careers.
- Waypoints (Short-Term Exposure): These are one-day, four-to-six-hour introductory experiences held during school breaks (Thanksgiving, winter, February and spring) that provide a snapshot of a possible career. Waypoints allow students to “shadow” a professional, tour an office or participate in a workshop.
The success of the Explorer Externship Program will depend on the response of the Ransom Everglades network. We are looking for host sites in every imaginable field: from environmental science and public policy to artificial intelligence and the arts.
Whether you can host one student for a half-day “Waypoint” or a small team for a week-long “Expedition,” your contribution will make a difference for our students. You can help transform their intellectual curiosity into civic engagement and professional readiness.
We invite you to jump on board. Share your journey, open your doors and help us prepare the next generation of leaders to find their way.
Contact Externship Program Coordinator Jenny Gragg Carson ’03 by email at externships@ransomeverglades.org.
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2045 South Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, FL 33133Phone: 305 250 6850
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Founded in 1903, Ransom Everglades School is a coeducational, college preparatory day school for grades 6 - 12 located on two campuses in Coconut Grove, Florida. It is rated the top private school in Miami and among the 10 private schools in North America. Ransom Everglades School produces graduates who "believe that they are in the world not so much for what they can get out of it as for what they can put into it." The school provides rigorous college preparation that promotes the student's sense of identity, community, personal integrity and values for a productive and satisfying life, and prepares the student to lead and to contribute to society.
Ransom Everglades School®, The RE Way®, RE Pathways® and Bowden Fellowships in the Humanities™ are trademarks of Ransom Everglades School.
Ransom Everglades School®, The RE Way®, RE Pathways® and Bowden Fellowships in the Humanities™ are trademarks of Ransom Everglades School.