Purple Haze
Interns
By Lauren Bagian

Sept. 17, 2009

Walking into the middle school for my first day as the middle school band intern I suddenly felt tall. My car keys jingled in my pocket and I had my paper cup of hot coffee in my hand as I walked through the halls. The sixth graders were changing classes, quickly exchanging books at their lockers and then bustling off to class. I got some funny looks as some of the new middle school recruits sped around the corner and skidded to a stop before they ran into this strange and scary high school student who was invading their territory. I had never felt so cool in my entire life.

That day I realized that I was making my transition from child to adult, from student to staff member. It was strange as I remembered being in elementary school and being incredibly excited the days when I knew that the “Big Buddy” was coming to visit; now the current high school upperclassmen and I were the Big Buddies.

Each year we all enter a new role, whether or not we realize it right away. Every year we think that we’re older, wiser and finally experienced. Well, believe it or not, we will never be as knowledgeable as we think. I thought I was a big shot at top of the totem pole in fifth grade and then eighth grade. Finally, as a senior, it become obvious that there is a whole world out there full of opportunities that are more varied than those just offered in the school curriculum.

I sat in front of the eighth grade clarinet lesson thinking about how amazing the opportunities given to Northern students are. These career experiences give interns the chance to “test-drive” various jobs before making college major decisions, or students are simply given another way to immerse themselves in their passions. In the past few years more and more seniors are taking advantage of these options; this is one percentage concerning teenagers that is pleasing to watch rise.