On Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, the junior class attended the annual Career Exploration Internship Program (CEIP) assembly, with five Becton alumni panelists highlighting their time in the program: Joshua Novello, Giancarlo Quesada, Kaitlyn O’Neill, Zuzanna Góźdź, and Madison Knueppel.
According to Ms. Gina Annitti, coordinator of the CEIP, “The purpose is to inform students about the benefits of the internship program and encourage them to apply.” Through the featured panelists speaking about their experiences, juniors will understand more about the benefits of enrolling into the program during their senior year!
Panelist Joshua Novello, intern at The Valley Hospital and Hackensack University Medical Center, graduated manga cum laude from Seton Hall University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Catholic studies. He describes his experience as “dynamic” where he harbored a number of responsibilities throughout his days! He states, “At The Valley Hospital, I started with transporting patients throughout the hospital. It was really rewarding to engage with patients, especially hearing the excitement of the patients who were being discharged. Although I did that, I spent most of my time in the emergency department where I was able to shadow nurses in the triage area. Additionally, the interactions I had while handing out warm blankets to patients were amazing.”
With his internship at Hackensack University Medical Center, Novello predominantly resided in the Pediatric Research Department. “Working behind the scenes, I made binders, organized filing rooms, made PowerPoint presentations and sent out reminder emails. My work ethic was noticed and I was presented with the opportunity to assess patient demographics and medical data for a rheumatology study. Moreover, I was able to meet physicians and often had the opportunity to shadow them, attend tumor board meetings, and conferences.”
Novello feels as though his two internships changed his life, divulging, “There are many valuable skills that I learned during my internships, including how to interact with patients. From my interactions during my internships, one of my biggest takeaways is the importance of the patient provider relationship, the necessity of treating each individual with immense dignity, and to always be an advocate for the patient. I am very fortunate to have learned this early on as I pursue a path toward becoming a physician.”
Novello advises to new interns, “Don’t be afraid to ask. Sometimes opportunities don’t just present themselves. Get out of your comfort zone, send that email, shake that hand, and the opportunities will make themselves. It’s something that I remember doing with my internships and that allowed for a wealth of further opportunities. Your internship will be what you make of it and can open many doors.”
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Panelist Madison Knueppel, who interned at McKenzie School, feels that her experience in the internship program was one of her favorite memories during high school. Knueppel explains, “My internship was in the third grade classrooms with Mrs. Vecchione and Mrs. Nastro. It was in these classrooms where I was given the opportunity to observe and learn how to run my own future class someday. Through this experience I was able to interact and help teach the kids, learn further about classroom management, assist the teachers in whatever they needed, but most importantly, I discovered if teaching was truly the path I wanted to take. Spoiler…it is!”
She shares her initial uncertainty, “I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I wasn’t sure of the direction I would go in ‘grade-wise’. After my internship, I knew my heart was in teaching literature, so I ultimately decided to go for Secondary Education. I loved the younger kids I worked with, but after my experience at McKenzie, I knew where I wanted to go for my career and what better suited my interests as a future educator.”
Knueppel took home with her a number of essential life-skills, as she furthers, “The most valuable skills I learned during my internship were time management, classroom management and how to handle myself in a professional manner. All of these skills offered me a great foundation to bounce off of for pursuing education, rather than me entering the classroom without any prior experience or knowledge. Due to my internship, I was given the skills before many of my college peers had been, which gave me a boost when it comes to clinicals and observations.”
One piece of advice Knueppel leaves future interns with is to “foster those connections you’re making and to enjoy this experience.” She advises that the opportunity is relished, as not many high schools provide an experience like this one!
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Panelist Giancarlo Quesada, who interned twice right here at Becton under the TV & Production Studio, extends his positive involvement, “My experience with the overall panel was great! Giving back to the Becton students and community is really the peak of it all. You come to Becton for four years and you embrace the culture, wildcat spirit and environment. It was great to see the other panelists from the previous year as they shared their experiences as well! They’re really informative and it brings a sense of diversity when it comes to the various industries one may want to work in for the Becton students.”
Having interned once in his senior year and coming back again during college, Quesada expressed, “I am thankful to intern for Becton twice with their TV Department which allowed me to understand the program more and how to adapt to the students taking the class. Part of my first internship duties were troubleshooting equipment, aide in editing on WeVideo with the students, editing Features & scripts, editing the Monthly News Report each month, while receiving hands-on experience with cameras, equipment and field production experience. I cannot thank Mrs. Amanda Colangelo and Mrs. Justine Settembrino for advice, guidance and direction throughout my first internship.”
Touching more on his second time with Becton, he continues, “My second internship was very different as opposed to the first. It felt more official because it was for college credits and I felt more like a faculty/staff member rather than just a student. I thank my supervisor, Mrs. Carly Blake, for the incredible insights and advice throughout the second tenure of internship, we worked great together and I never wanted the internship to end.”
Quesada concludes with a piece of hard-hitting advice: “Be so good, they can’t ignore you. But stay true to yourself and others by staying humble. Your first job is never going to be your dream job. This is simply a stepping stone to your dream job, while you have the ability to grow in this program and your craft. Hone it, embrace it, learn whatever you can, ask questions, conquer it and move on to better things that will benefit you. This program is not only to find what career or dream job you may want, but can shape how you view responsibilities, leadership, and dedication to your passion. Stay passionate, and if the industry isn’t for you, you have time, there’s no rush in life.” Quesada shares his endless gratitude towards Ms. Annitti, Mrs. Colangelo, Mrs. Settembrino and Mrs. Blake for his lasting experience.
These internships offer valuable real-world experience that helps students explore different careers. Whether it’s working in healthcare, education, or media, the Career Exploration Internship Program helps students build skills, discover their passions, and make important connections. As shown by Novello, Knueppel, and Quesada, these experiences provide a solid foundation for their future careers and offer insight into what they want to pursue. It’s an opportunity to learn and grow before entering senior year and beyond.