Unique Internships At Kingsbury Animal Hospital（英文）

By Jill Cook

Summer 2011

此内容暂无简体中文译文，以下为英文原文。

Jasmine Norman, one of two Kingsbury Animal Hospital interns. Descriptive caption supplied.

Historical Summer 2011 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.

Deciding a career path before graduating from high school might seem difficult for some teenagers. For 17 year-old Jasmine Norman, the decision to go into a high school pre-vet program and intern at an animal hospital that offers grooming services was natural.“I love animals and wanted to do something that wouldn’t make me sad like the medical aspects,” Norman said. “I also like beautifying things. You might say, taking an ugly duckling and turning it into a swan.” Norman is just one of many lucky students who are taking advantage of the opportunities her school is offering by teaming up with local businesses. Gateway Institute of Technology, located in the northeastern corner of The Hill, is a different kind of high school. Its students concentrate on studies in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. Students studying in the sciences can narrow their area of study down to medical science, science studies or pre-veterinarian. Selected students in the pre-vet program have the opportunity to intern their senior year, according to Kara Dalton, pre-veterinary studies teacher and internship coordinator.

But finding enough veterinary clinics to work with interns can be challenging, especially when student interest in the program almost tripled in one year, according to Dalton. “Not being from St. Louis makes it difficult,” Dalton said. “I did some research along with Googling, reading reviews and asking people for their recommendations.

I also knew that Dr. Bender used Kingsbury’s grooming services.” This connection introduced Dalton to Rose Wekenborg, lead groomer at Kingsbury Animal Hospital. Elizabeth Bender, Gateway’s principal, and Wekenborg share a much longer history than the more recent client contact. Bender and Wekenborg were Skinker DeBaliviere neighbors and St. Roch Parish members for many years. “The school had impressed me with their goal to educate students in real world career opportunities , ” Wekenborg said.

It did not take much to convince Dr. Steve Brammeier, Kingsbury Animal Hospital founder and owner, to accept the partnership. “Rose was enthusiastic about it, and she is very good at teaching,” Brammeier said. “I think all the employees enjoy sharing their talents.” Currently, Kingsbury Animal Hospital is training two interns, Norman and 18 year-old classmate Richelle Smith. “I’ve always had a love for animals,” Smith said. “And this is a better learning experience than being in a classroom reading about it.” The students’ excitement about working at something they love is one of the reasons Wekenborg enjoys teaching them. “It’s a neat thing when someone that young has an interest, a passion, in a career so much that they want to pursue it in other ways like this,” Wekenborg said. And the relationship the students have with Kingsbury, and in particular Wekenborg, has been recognized by Dalton. “With Rose’s teaching background, it makes her and Kingsbury a natural fit,” Dalton said. “She gives good constructive feedback, which is important for the kids.” But Kingsbury Animal Hospital does not focus on just the technical aspects of veterinary science and grooming.

The employees recognize the opportunity to give the interns an even more valuable opportunity. “I enjoy showing the kids what it’s like to handle the responsibilities of a regular job,” Wekenborg said. And for Norman, that example will be especially beneficial come the summer as her internship will turn into a part-time job as a grooming assistant at Kingsbury. “Having the experience I already do here, I feel comfortable already. And I can continue to learn,” Norman said. Even if the internship didn’t lead to employment, the opportunity for high school students to experience a possible career before four years of expensive college education can be worth as much as a job.