A year ago, Summer Search launched a new structure for a centralized Career Team in order to expand career readiness support and create more consistent opportunities for participants across the country. Since then, the team has helped hundreds of Summer Searchers build professional skills  and networks, explore career pathways, and take meaningful steps toward their futures.

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive so far, from both students and volunteer mentors. 

The team is helping participants turn aspirations into action. The Career Team sent bi-weekly Internship Insider newsletters, connecting participants with curated internship and career opportunities tailored to their region. Summer Searchers have submitted more than 240 internship applications in fields ranging from biotechnology and healthcare to business and law. Through this process, students landed internships at our employer partners including Skadden Law, Shawmut Design and Construction, and Equinix and nonprofit partners such as Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Legal Services for Children, and Project Onramp. 

Over the past year, participants in their first year after high school submitted 177 resumes and 133 LinkedIn profiles for review, helping prepare the next cohort of Summer Searchers for career-relevant opportunities. Knowing that interviewing can be the most challenging stage of an application, volunteers worked with this age group to normalize this experience with over 95% agreeing that they made an impact on their participant’s interview skills.  

Summer Search Boston students on their site visit at GBH studios!

Throughout the year, 229 Summer Searchers participants engaged directly with professionals through recruiter coffee chats, industry dinners, networking events, and site visits. These experiences provide valuable exposure to different career paths while helping participants build confidence and professional networks. One high schooler who joined a tour of GBH Studios in Boston shared

“I had an amazing time learning about the radio production and the behind the scenes. The Q&A helped me improve my goals and inspiration to become a potential journalist/ writer”

This spring, Internship Intensives expanded from Boston to all sites, bringing participants together to prepare for summer internships through leadership development, workplace communication training, and networking practice. 

Summer Search NYC students practiced networking at their Internship Intensive

Just as we support summer experience readiness through mentorship in high school, the Internship Intensive aims to support participant entry to the professional world of summer internships, field specific jobs, and research positions! 100% of participants reported feeling more prepared for their professional experiences, with one New York City Summer Searcher sharing,

“Networking isn’t so scary after all—the professionals we talk to are still people at the end of the day.“

For the 2025-2026 academic year, 75 participants were matched with a volunteer mentor who is a professional in their field of interest through the newly centralized Career Coach Program. Coaches provide insider knowledge, advice, and connections that open doors for participants- and they continue to grow in return. One coach felt that,

“I was able to share my personal and work experience with my mentee that elevated her thinking about her career goals, and at the same time, I was able to reflect on my career path to figure out my own move.” 

Our first ever Bay Area Internship Intensive participants!

As Summer Search looks ahead, the Career Team will continue evaluating and evolving to best serve the needs of Summer Searchers, both in post-secondary educational environments and as they enter the workforce. We look forward to building additional partnerships, engaging volunteers, and creating opportunities that help participants successfully navigate the transition from education to careers of meaning. If you are interested in getting involved as a volunteer coach or partner, please reach out to the Career Team at career@summersearch.org.