Over the past several months, Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement Tia Murkison has been working on building the Stephen Gaynor School Alumni Internship Program, which aims to launch in September 2023 with the new school year. Gaynor alumni often reach out to former teachers to ask about possible internship opportunities or ways they can volunteer at the school, inspiring the idea of a formal alumni internship program.
The goal for the program is to have alumni working in select positions in certain departments. Those interested in the program will go through an application process, with a goal of five or six alumni in the program per year.
There are two interns working at Gaynor this year, to test how the program will operate. The first is Isaac M., Class of 2019. Isaac attends Summit High School, and is working in Gaynor’s IT department with Joel Levin and Brian Russ, helping with projects for the IT team. The other intern currently at Gaynor is Lena R., Class of 2011. Lena is attending Fordham University, completing her masters in teaching in an accelerated master’s program, and has been shadowing various Blue Cluster teachers. As she is currently studying teaching, Lena is using this opportunity to learn more about what goes into teaching special education.
Ms. Murkison said, “At Gaynor we want to see our alumni succeed. That’s our number one goal. This program allows alumni to come back to the school and peek behind the curtain to see how Gaynor operates from the perspective of someone who is no longer a student here. It encourages alumni to explore career options if they are interested in special education, or to simply engage with their Gaynor community in a unique way.”
She continued, “We encourage alumni to come back and learn more about what we do every day at the school, because our work is so important.”
Alumni currently attending either high school or college will be eligible to apply as volunteers or to earn credits towards their education. If there are alumni interested in the program who are unable to be in New York City during the school year, Gaynor will also be accepting internship applications for help with summer camp.
Interested alumni should contact Tia Murkison at tmurkison@stephengaynor.org or (212) 787-7070 x1115.