More than five dozen JHS students gain work experience through internships
By Lynn Meadows, JCSD Director of Communications
JOHNSTON, Ia. (May 19, 2025) – Sixty-one JHS students gained valuable on-the-job work experience this school year through a partnership between Johnston High School and 56 different businesses, including 20 new business partners.
The School-to-Work program, led by JHS teachers Kate White and Kayla Bousum, provides high school seniors the opportunity to connect with businesses in the Des Moines metro area and beyond for quality internship experiences.
“When education connects to real-world experience, everyone wins,” said Jyll Johnson Miner, Johnston’s director for post-secondary pathways and related arts learning. “Our School-to-Work program is one of the best in the state and we are proud of it and thankful to the instructors that lead it!”
From medicine to law, music and engineering
Katelyn Gallagher worked at Wallace Elementary as a counseling/psychology intern.
This school year, Johnston students gained over 15,000 total hours of experience in their planned career paths.
Those career paths ranged from dentistry to electric work, veterinary medicine, nursing, medicine, law, architecture, information technology, occupational therapy, business and finance, marketing, graphic design, woodworking, physical therapy, psychology, music, welding, construction management, automotive work, real estate, business analytics, engineering, biotechnology, athletic administration, cosmetology, agriculture, theater, production, video and livestream, and more.
Najla Salihovic interned at Mercy West Lakes as a patient care technician
JHS student Katelyn Gallagher said being a part of the School-to-Work program was something that will always be very important to her.
“This past year, I worked at Wallace Elementary as a counseling/psychology intern,” Gallagher said. “I made so many wonderful memories and relationships with not only my employer, but also the students I work with. This is an opportunity that I will never forget and will always be an important part of my future career.”
Najla Salihovic was among several students who worked in the medical field. She interned at Mercy West Lakes as a patient care technician. She gained hands-on experiences in a hospital setting by working with the medical/surgery team. She plans to go to DMACC for nursing, and then to the University of Iowa for CRNA school.
Willow Schmitz had a physical therapy internship with Champions Recovery Room.
“This is a chance to explore your interests, develop new skills, and understand the day-to-day operations of a professional environment in a hospital full of experienced nurses and doctors,” Salihovic said.
Willow Schmitz had a physical therapy internship with Champions Recovery Room. She met with patients, saw their growth over time, learned about injuries and different recovery processes. Schmitz plans to attend the University of Northern Iowa and major in biomedical sciences.
“This experience [is] such an eye opening opportunity for you to learn valuable skills, step out of your comfort zone, and make great connections with employers,” Schmitz said. “You grow so much as a person and learn skills that you will use for the rest of your life.”
Opening the door for job opportunities
Mackenzie Anderson was a veterinary intern at Rush Animal Care Clinic
Twenty-three of the JHS School-to-Work students will continue to work over the summer, while three of the students have received offers to work full-time after graduation.
“I actually am very glad I went into the School-to-Work Program,” said JHS student Mackenzie Anderson, who was a veterinary intern at Rush Animal Care Clinic. “I learned so much at Rush Animal Care Clinic and had a lot of fun doing it! I also got a job out of it too, which is a big perk.”
Anderson sat in on animal surgeries during her internship, and will continue to work at Rush Animal Care while attending DMACC.
Demand is high for the School-to-Work program. To qualify, students go through an application process and are chosen based on their junior year attendance, recommendations from JHS teachers, and their communication skills shown during a brief interview.
See the full list of 61 Johnston School-to-Work students in 2024-2025 and their placements, and a slide show from an event honoring this year’s School-to-Work students.
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2020: Work-Based Learning Internships Give Students Direction