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Peter Valverde pictured at his Cal Berkeley dorm hopes to find a summer internship in San Diego when he returns home this summer. (Courtesy photo)

In addition to celebrating holidays, December is the perfect time for students on their winter break to explore summer internships or job prospects. Alvarado Estates is home to students attending local colleges and universities, as well as institutions in other parts of California and across the country. No matter where they reside during the school year, most of them will be in the neighborhood for the summer months. As well as having fun with friends and sleeping in, most students will make time for personal and professional development, too.

Peter Valverde and his siblings grew up in Alvarado Estates. He is now a sophomore at the University of California, Berkeley. He plans to search for an internship when classes end next week.

I will be coming home for the summer vacation, but hopefully it wont be too much of a vacation, he said, adding he wants to look into data science internships, which would compliment his academic interests and career goals. I found that my data science tutoring job has helped me connect with people in the community and has motivated me toward finding and pursuing data science opportunities.

Peters older sister, Danielle Valverde, has already secured an internship. She is finishing a degree in Communication Studies at the University of San Diego. A family friend alerted her to an opportunity that sounded like a great match with her undergraduate degree and the Masters Degree she wants to earn in Human Resources and Leadership. After submitting a resume of her previous job experiences and educational accomplishments, she had a phone interview that resulted in an internship with the Office of Development and Foundations Executive Director and the Development Coordinator at Southwestern College.

Most colleges and universities have a program in place to assist students who want to bolster their academic studies with experiential learning. Schools know that an internship can help a student bridge their studies and the real world by gaining the skills to launch into a meaningful career.

Andre Frater helps students find out about opportunities on and off campus right here at San Diego State University Career Services. The programs website offers enrolled SDSU students the chance to set up an in-person or virtual one-on-one career advising appointment to define, develop and realize their career potential. Students learn tips to produce a resume, write cover letters and prepare for an interview. How to Make a Good First Impression on a Virtual Interview, is one of many videos produced by recruiting sites and available as direct links from the SDSU Career Services website.

Andre encourages students to use online platforms like Handshake to find internships. Handshake is a relatively new online recruiting site for higher education students and recent alumni. The app helps to streamline the process by connecting students with open positions, such as internships and entry-level jobs all over the country.

The Handshake website states that there are, more than nine million active student users, more than 1,400 college and university partners, and more than 600k active employers, including 100% of the Fortune 500 companies. You can learn more about the app by going to joinhandshake.com. The website instructions seem simple: Download the Handshake app and sign-up with your college and student account, create a personal profile and get personalized job recommendations, connect with employers to learn about company culture and open roles, and apply and get the job!

In addition to Handshake, try Indeed.com, LinkedIn, Facebook or networking with friends and neighbors to secure that invaluable summer experience.

If you have the ability to provide an internship opportunity for students, sign up as an employer on Handshake or reach out to Andre Frater and the Career Resources Team at SDSU by calling 619-594-6509.

Karen Austin writes on behalf of the Alvarado Estates Association.

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'Tis the season to plan a summer internship - In addition to celebrating holidays December is the perfect time for students on their winter break to...