Internships & real-world learning partnerships
At the Upper School at Linder, learning extends beyond the classroom through real-world experience. Each year, students complete a one-week internship aligned with their interests—whether shadowing engineers, working in a lab, or supporting a nonprofit. These hands-on experiences build confidence, strengthen resumes, and help students clarify their future path.
Annual one-week internships
Every Linder Upper School student participates in a one-week internship each year. These immersive experiences are thoughtfully aligned with students' interests and strengths, offering early exposure to professional settings. A student might shadow a software engineer, assist in a university biology lab, help coordinate a community event at a local nonprofit, or contribute to the creative direction at a design studio.
These internships do more than build resumes—they help students explore what inspires them, identify potential career paths, and develop confidence in professional environments.
Research partnerships with universities
Linder partners with nearby universities to offer students unique access to college-level research experiences. Students may participate in ongoing psychology, science, or engineering research conducted by these university partners. They may gain experience collecting data, learning lab protocols, or presenting findings.
Some Upper School students may choose to work in teams to explore real-world problems, creating their own independent study research projects that will be guided by a university contact who will help them set a structure, and meet with them throughout their research project to mentor them along the way.
Research partnerships help students develop analytical skills, learn the language of academic inquiry, and build impressive experience for college admissions. Often, these experiences culminate in capstone presentations or published papers, giving students an authentic sense of scholarly contribution.
Service learning with local non-profits
Linder also partners with local nonprofits to offer students meaningful service learning opportunities. These aren’t one-time volunteer hours—they’re thoughtfully designed, sustained projects that align with community needs and student interests. A student might plan a continuous donation drive for a local shelter, support event logistics for an environmental nonprofit, or create outreach materials for a community health organization.
Through these partnerships, students learn to lead with empathy, take initiative, and work collaboratively to solve real-world challenges. Each project includes time for reflection, ensuring students connect their service to broader themes of civic responsibility and community impact.
Why it matters
Real-world learning brings purpose to the Upper School experience—especially for neurodiverse and twice-exceptional students who thrive when education is hands-on and meaningful. Internships, research partnerships, and service learning opportunities foster self-awareness, responsibility, and initiative.
These experiences help students build communication and collaboration skills, connect with mentors, and gain professional experience. More than resume boosters, they serve as launching pads for the real world.