Markell Washington expected the getting-paid-to-learn part of his first job to be simple. Six weeks at Valley Strong Credit Union showed him otherwise.
The incoming senior at Aspire Benjamin Holt College Preparatory Academy handled basic transactions, observed employees assisting customers targeted by scams and fraud, and learned that working at a financial institution involved more than processing money.
“It is about building trusted relationships with members,” Washington said.
Markell Washington was among more than 70 San Joaquin County students recognized Wednesday after completing paid summer internships with businesses, government agencies, health care providers and nonprofit organizations.
The students participated through San Joaquin A+, a regional organization that works with schools and employers to introduce young people to local industries and prepare them for jobs after high school. Its programs include workplace visits, career panels, résumé assistance, interview preparation and paid internships.
The organization held its annual End of Summer Celebration at the University Plaza Waterfront Hotel in downtown Stockton, bringing together students, families, educators, workplace mentors and elected officials.
More than 104 students completed internships across San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties this summer, according to the organization. The larger figure includes students outside San Joaquin County who were not part of Wednesday’s group of more than 70 local students.
Each internship lasted six weeks and provided about 120 hours of paid, hands-on experience from June through July.
Placements included credit unions, wineries, health clinics, government offices, youth programs, engineering programs and agricultural businesses. Participating employers ranged from the San Joaquin County Public Defender’s Office and Registrar of Voters to Community Medical Centers, the Stockton Ports and the offices of state and federal lawmakers.
Students prepare for the internships over several months before reporting to their assigned workplaces, San Joaquin A+ CEO Kai Kung said. During the school year, the organization introduces students to employers and career fields through workplace visits, job-shadowing and career panels, then helps them develop résumés and prepare for interviews.
The process concludes with a weeklong Intern Boot Camp covering workplace communication, time management, digital literacy, goal-setting and professional expectations, according to San Joaquin A+.
“It takes a combination of in-classroom learning and outside-of-the-classroom learning,” Kung said.
The organization describes the summer placements as one part of a broader effort to connect classroom learning with jobs available in the San Joaquin Valley.
San Joaquin A+ works with 26 high schools representing 11 school systems across the three counties and partners with 37 regional employers, Kung said. Since 2023, 1,882 students have participated in its internships, career events and other programs.
Its summer internship program began four years ago with five students. More than 100 participated this year.
Kung credited the growth to partnerships with schools and employers, which recruit students, provide training and assign workplace mentors. The program depends on employers being willing to give teenagers substantive assignments rather than treating the placements as temporary summer help, he said.
Washington said his internship at Valley Strong was his first time navigating a professional workplace.
Although he describes himself as outgoing and social, he initially hesitated to ask questions. Over the six weeks, he became more comfortable seeking clarification and communicating with supervisors.
“The internship gave me an opportunity to experience a professional workplace, take on real responsibilities and learn more about what I’m capable of,” Washington said.
Several employers hosted groups of students and assigned them work connected to existing projects.
Interns at Community Medical Centers helped establish a youth advisory committee and offered feedback as the health care provider developed plans for a facility serving young people, said Lei McMiller, the organization’s director of substance use disorder services.
Community Medical Centers operates nearly 30 clinics in the San Joaquin area and has hosted interns through San Joaquin A+ in multiple summers.
The students’ input gave the organization information it could use while planning youth services, while the interns were exposed to health care careers and workplace operations, McMiller said.
“Our interns bring curiosity, energy and fresh perspectives to our workplace, and our team learns from them as well,” she said.
Other students were placed with the San Joaquin County Office of Education’s Venture Academy Family of Schools.
Those interns worked alongside educators during an intensive summer literacy program, helping students in kindergarten through fifth grade strengthen their reading and writing skills.
The placement included students from the county office’s TEACH Academy, a program that allows high school students interested in education careers to take college-level coursework.
Working directly with children gave the interns an opportunity to test their interest in teaching before committing to a college program or career path, Deputy Superintendent Janine Kaeslin said.
“Plans can change, and internships help inform those decisions,” Kaeslin said.
Government offices also hosted students.
State Sen. Jerry McNerney’s office hosted intern Russell Totanis Alabazo, who helped staff organize an event honoring Stockton Police Department Deputy Chief Anabel Morris as a Woman of the Year.
McNerney said the assignment allowed the intern to observe how elected officials and their employees coordinate public events.
Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom said the program could also help develop a local workforce by exposing students to careers available near their homes.
Washington said his experience expanded his understanding of the jobs available to him and gave him relationships with supervisors and fellow interns that he did not have before the summer.
Students received plaques recognizing their completion of the internship program, along with certificates from the offices of McNerney, Ransom and U.S. Rep. Josh Harder.
The celebration also marked a new phase for San Joaquin A+ as it expands its programs beyond San Joaquin County. Kung said the organization recently redesigned its logo and website to better explain its work as it partners with more schools and employers across the region.
Its new message, “Where education meets opportunity,” reflects its focus on connecting students with career experiences outside the classroom.
San Joaquin A+ also premiered a short documentary featuring students, educators, employers and community partners involved in its career programs. Kung said the organization plans to place a greater emphasis on documenting individual students’ experiences as the number of young people participating in its programs continues to grow.
For Washington, the night marked the end of his first job and a lesson he said he plans to carry forward.
“If you see something and you want it, take it,” Washington told the other students. “You never know what good you’ll get out of it.”