When 11th grader Jennifer Pak walked into High Tech High Chula Vista’s Internship Interview Day, she felt nervous. Like many students, she wasn’t sure what to expect.
But by the end of the morning, she was smiling.
“It wasn’t that hard,” Jennifer said, reflecting on the experience. Interviewers asked about her career interests, what she knows, and what she’s been working on in school. What surprised her most wasn’t the questions—it was what she discovered about herself. Through the process, she realized she has good communication skills, something she hadn’t been fully aware about before.
Jennifer is now looking forward to her upcoming five-week internship—and the career growth it could spark for her future and college journey. And yes, she admitted with a grin, she’s also happy that the interview part is “over with.”
Jennifer wasn’t the only student who came prepared.
Cyrus Estrada approached the day with intention. Going into his mock interview, he expected to answer questions “thoroughly and thoughtfully” — and, as he put it, to “pass the interview.” He reminded himself to shake hands before sitting down and to break the ice, building strong social skills from the very first moment.
Like many of his classmates, Cyrus understood that Internship Interview Day is more than a requirement. It is practice in professionalism, communication, and confidence.
Behind the scenes, Internship Coordinator Yoli Soler sees stories like Jennifer’s and Cyrus’s every year.
“It is such a beautiful process to see the students start the year, where they may feel doubt, uncertainty, and then get to a place where they feel confident,” Soler said.
Internship Interview Day is a cornerstone of the HTH Chula Vista experience. Held each February, community partners—many of whom will host students for their May internships—come to campus to conduct real interviews and provide meaningful feedback. Leading up to the day, students participate in workshops on resume writing, cover letters, interview skills, and even a “dress for success” session to prepare them for a professional setting.
“It’s all of those things leading up to this moment,” Soler said. “A special day of celebration, where the students are feeling empowered and confident. For some of them, this is their very first interview. For some, it might turn into a summer job or paid job.”
For Soler, one of the most heartwarming aspects of the day is the presence of community mentors.
“It’s an investment in our community and in our future,” she said. “It’s adults showing their faith in our students and mentoring them to become the best leaders in our community.”
At High Tech High Chula Vista, internships are a rite of passage. And for students like Jennifer and Cyrus, they mark the moment when uncertainty turns into confidence, and potential begins to feel real.
