By Renee Larr
Twenty-seven students from Hamilton Southeastern High School and Fishers High School have been participating in the Launch Fishers High School Fellowship program. The program works to place high school students in internships around Fishers. It was developed in 2015 when Launch Fishers was housed in the basement of the Fishers Library.
“The Launch Fishers High School Fellowship is a partnership between the City of Fishers, HSE Schools and Launch Fishers supported by AT&T as the sole corporate sponsor of the program,” said Launch Fishers Founder John Wechsler in an email. “Our goal is to reach students interested in a career path and expose them to experiences from real life entrepreneurs and experiences inside innovative entrepreneurial companies.”
Students have learned of the program through advertising within the schools and word-of-mouth from other students. They go through an application process, and not every student that applies is chosen for the fellowship.
“Students are chosen to participate in a week-long entrepreneurial boot camp. On the Friday of boot camp, students interviewed to be placed with host companies for a paid summer fellowship that runs from June 13 to Aug 4. Most students go into the boot camp with the hopes of getting one of the internships, but there is definitely something for everyone in the topics presented and boo tcamp along is worth it,” said Marisa Pennington, LFHSF director.
New to the program this year is a dual credit summer entrepreneurship class though Ball State.
“I approached Ball State and it took a little over a year to convince them. I wanted to add a college course in entrepreneurship so that students could earn dual credit so that it marries the real-world experience they were getting along with the more theoretical college experience,” said Doug Harter, Assistant Principal at HSE.
Students were placed with start-up companies such as BLASTMedia, Fuzic and Launch Fishers. The program is open to any high school student residing in Fishers. Several students have been offered part-time positions after their internship though the program.
For more, visit launchfishers.com.
