April is that time of the year when the prospect of sunny beaches and endless free time seems just within reach. But summer also brings a weighty responsibility – deciding how to best utilize this time.
Deciding what to do over the summer can be a tricky task. Whether one chooses to pursue internships, community service or summer research, a summer commitment has to be both impressive and rewarding.
InternMe, a company recently founded by juniors Natalia Henry and Taylor Toudouze, provides just that. The company connects high school students around the DFW metroplex with internships that help them gain real-world experience.
Above all, InternMe’s easy-to-navigate application process, which includes letters of recommendation and a personal statement of interest, allow interns to be paired with a company that matches their interests.
The idea for InternMe was born when Henry and Toudouze were brainstorming ways to improve the ease of obtaining summer opportunities at Hockaday.
“We realized that it was actually really hard to find an internship,” Toudouze said. “And we wanted to start a business, so we created a business that addressed that problem.”
By networking with parents and extending already-existing relationships, Henry and Toudouze created a widespread network of relationships at various companies.
Some of these companies include Leslie Christine Designs, an interior design company headed by Toudouze’s stepmother, and Oboy! Production, a video production company located in Addison.
The majority of the companies that Toudouze and Henry have emailed have been open to the idea of hosting high school interns and excited by the prospect of a Hockaday girl interning at their businesses.
“Everyone that we have emailed has said yes and is ecstatic,” Henry said.
Toudouze agrees. She believes that this may be, in part, due to Hockaday’s prestige.
“They know that Hockaday has a good reputation and that Hockaday girls will be motivated to do a good job,” Toudouze said.
So far, these budding entrepreneurs have yet to work with many Hockaday girls looking for internships because of the time that the company was created.
“This year we started late. By the time we started the company, a lot of people already had summer plans,” Toudouze said.
Although Toudouze and Henry admit that they missed a window of opportunity, they have big dreams for the future of InternMe.
“We have a lot of opportunities and we need all the talent we can get,” Toudouze said. “Over time, we hope to make connections at different private schools and create a network of interns,” she said.
To learn more about InternMe, please visit its website at http://internmedallas.wix.com/about
