CTE Business Partners Appreciation Luncheon 2024

Provo is home to a diverse array of professionals, from teachers aiding neurodivergent students to social media marketers creating viral content, from nurses suturing wounds to architects drafting blueprints. You might be surprised to read that our high school interns, participating in the district’s annual CTE Business Partners Appreciation Luncheon, are also engaging in such challenging work—all the work listed came from their speeches at the luncheon. This luncheon gathers mentors, project managers, teachers, and affiliates from Provo CAPS and CTE Internships to enjoy a catered lunch and listen to our students discuss their experiences.

From Sophia, an intern seasoning her classroom management skills, to Emilee, studying how to suture and restrain animals as a veterinarian, our students are learning the hard skills and practical knowledge rarely received at such a young age. 

Perhaps more importantly, internships deliver experiences that can forever alter many students’ post-graduation careers. These experiences can inform what and who they want to become.

“I’m just grateful I heard about the internship,” shared Grace, the social media marketing intern, over the Provo High baseball team’s social media accounts. “I want to do sports photography now; my future plans have completely changed after this internship.”

For a luncheon celebrating our business partners, our students were the stars, reminding attendees of the value of internships and Provo CAPS programs; investing in students is an investment in our collective future.

One couldn’t help but feel impressed with these students recounting of their products and projects; they seemed in their element. Most readers might think of their high school years, slinking from class to class in an uninspired spiral to pass the time and inevitably graduate. It was surprising to hear students share deep knowledge on their topics; our youth spoke like adults.

But it shouldn’t come as a surprise—they are, in many ways, working-class people. They’re developing products, meeting timelines, stumbling, and growing. These students inspire; they’re living fully. 

For students interested in an internship or Provo CAPS partnership, it is more than an opportunity to complete authentic projects using industry standards and tools, although they offer that in spades. It’s a life experience.

We are so grateful for the many business partners, mentors, teachers, and community allies that create these learning opportunities.

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