Interest Grows in Internship Opportunities at BSM

Written by Marketing & Communications EPIC interns Audrey Broglio '27 and Madeline Yacoub '27

At Benilde St. Margaret’s, students have many opportunities to go beyond the traditional classroom experience, learning real-world skills in the community. A popular opportunity is the EPIC Internship Program. This includes opportunities through BSM and mini-internships or job shadows at different local organizations in the Twin Cities.

The Explore, Partner, Inspire, Connect, Internship (EPIC) Program has seven internal internships within the BSM community with something for all interests including marketing & communications, admissions, the Little Knights child development program, and more. Seventy-two students are involved in this year’s on-campus EPIC programs. Dr. Stephen Pohlen is BSM’s curriculum developer who started the EPIC program in 2018. Since then, the program has expanded beyond BSM to include mini-internships outside of BSM geared towards any and every student interest possible including architecture, sports management, social media, and engineering.

The EPIC Program also offers students the opportunity to participate in single-day events with many local organizations, including one with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx where students go to their facilities, learning about what it takes to run a successful professional sports franchise. Students in EPIC can build professional skills beyond what they learn in regular classes. Harper Stevenson-Shimek ‘26 explains how being a part of the admissions internship helps her be able to show prospective families why she loves BSM. “It helps grow a professional skill set, like improving your social skills, growing relationships, and convincing people why they should come to our school,” Stevenson-Shimek says one skill our admissions interns learn is how to relate to prospective families, understanding their needs and expectations when considering BSM as a school for their kids.

Because of the various choices and opportunities in the EPIC program, over 200 students participated in the 2023-2024 school year EPIC programs. Record EPIC enrollment for high school students this year is expected, as the number of internships grows each year, more students are getting the opportunity to try new things. EPIC allows students to learn with hands-on experience, creating the perfect environment to grow new skill sets like never before.

Last year 108 students partnered with organizations in the community to learn and grow from them. One of the many mini-internships BSM offers is with Gwoop, a technology company, and Colle McVoy, an advertising agency, both based in the Minneapolis St Paul metro area. BSM students worked hands-on with marketing and tech experts at both companies. Bevelyne Rioba ‘26 who worked with another internship at an architecture firm, Miller Dunwiddie based out of Minneapolis said, “I got to learn what I want to do in the future and I learned more about the process of designing buildings and different types of designs.”

These internships are a great opportunity for students to get involved with the BSM community and outside of it. Dr. Pohlen explained, “We’re trying to build it [the program] out more. I would love to double the number of students in the program in the coming years.” Current students who are interested in learning more should reach out to Dr. Pohlen.