Paul, TIPS Alumni 2009 |
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“The first e-mail that Paul ever wrote to me had all uncapitalized “I’s” and I knew we had to correct that right away,” laughs Jill Forcier, Office Manager of Aldrich + Elliott P.C., Water Resource Engineers. Nearly a year and a half later, Paul Kiripolski is still employed at the engineering firm where he first got his start through an internship with Linking Learning to Life’s TIPS program. The success and enthusiasm he showed during his internship paved the way to paid employment. The 20 year old currently works as the firm’s office assistant but will be moving on soon to attend Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana to study physics.
In 2009, Paul was a senior at Mount Mansfield Union High School and enrolled in the TIPS student internship program to “get a better idea of what he’d like to study in college.” During TIPS pre-employment skills course, Paul unveiled that his primary interests were engineering and business. LLL made some calls and Aldrich + Elliott agreed to host an intern and Paul started right away. “From his very first day as an intern, Paul has never once called in sick or showed up late,” reflects Jill. Today, Paul’s responsibilities include manning the reception desk, taking phone calls, managing clients, databases, and the mail. He also has helped prepare reports.
“I knew I wanted to take time after graduating high school to get a general idea of a career and working here has helped me develop professionally as a person. I’ve learned that building trust is so important because we can’t afford to mess up on projects,” states Paul. According to his last evaluation, which included stellar remarks, he has learned how to take feedback and understands how to prioritize projects based on urgency.
Unfortunately, not many young adults are as Paul as fortunate to have a support network including his parents and colleagues. In fact, Jill and the president of the company encouraged him to think about his education goals. “We didn’t want him to get too comfortable in his job. It’s easy to put off school,” she says. Over the past year, Paul has taken classes at the Community College of Vermont (CCV) and will start his first year of college with 12 credits.
Besides leading to a job, Paul remarks that his internship made him understand that “…job expectations are a LOT different from school.” He also believes he would not have gained these skills sitting in a classroom and feels that every young person would benefit from having experience in a professional work environment.
