At the IT Help Desk at Bethlehem Central High School (BCHS), students are welcomed into an environment where they can learn on the job. High school interns and interns from The College Experience (CEP) are both afforded opportunities to work and grow.

Photo shows a men in a blue long sleeve shirt. He is sitting in front of a computer and giving a thumbs up to the camera. He is wearing a company ID on a lanyard around his next

Canaan is enjoying his internship in the Living Resources IT Department

Canaan was the first CEP student to land an internship at BCHS. He worked there from October 2022 to February 2023 and says it was a great place to build his IT skillset.

“I enjoyed it like crazy,” he says, “My co-workers were pretty darn awesome!”

Navaar Johnson, Senior Network and Systems Administrator at the BCHS IT Help Desk, says Canaan was able to develop autonomy on the job. He got to the point where he’d repair Chromebooks and work out problems all on his own.

Today, Canaan has proven that his hard work at BCHS set him up for success! This summer, he graduated from CEP and began working part-time as an auditor for eBizDocs, a digital document management and automation business based in Menands. He is also very excited to be starting an internship at the Living Resources IT department.

Ian, a current CEP student, just started his internship at BCHS in September. He says he’s thankful for the help and guidance he’s already received. “The high

Photo shows a man in a red fleece jacket working on repairing a laptop

Ian is working to repair a laptop at Bethlehem Central High School

school student interns, along with the staff, are very professional and helpful,” he shares, “I could not have done anything without their help. They are instructing me, so I can do the work.”

Navaar says Ian’s enthusiasm and desire to interact with the students goes a long way. “He has the willingness to dive in,” he says, “Ian is not shy and is willing to

give his thoughts.”

The BCHS IT Help Desk was designed to put teaching, mentoring and customer service first. Navaar says having interns is mutually beneficial, with the desk getting an extra set of hands and the interns getting valuable experience. He says the partnership with CEP will absolutely continue into the future!

The College Experience is a two-year, non-credit certificate program at The College of Saint Rose. Students learn valuable skills in classes and internships, helping them achieve new levels of independence. Learn more at https://thecollegeexperience.org/