Van ISD & Southside Bank Partner to Offer Van ISD Students Internship Opportunities
Last year, the VHS CTE program expanded its offerings to include internships with community partners to provide Van High School students with real-world, on-site job experiences in various career paths. To highlight these incredible opportunities, we are starting a new series to feature our community partners and our student’s stories within these valuable internships!
To kick off our Community Partners Series, we begin by featuring Southside Bank and Yessi Dragustinovis. Yessi was chosen for their Retail Internship Program, a competitive, 16-week program that provides a basic understanding of retail banking operations. In addition, the program offers the skills necessary for the intern to work independently as a Bank Teller. Yessi learned about this program when Kristi Johnston, Community Banker at Southside Bank, visited Van High School as a guest speaker to introduce students to the banking industry and this internship opportunity. Yessi later applied and was accepted into this program in the spring of 2020 after going through an interview process and competing against other East Texas applicants.
Yessi says, “This opportunity would not have been possible without Mrs. Rainey and the CTE program at Van High School. Mrs. Rainey has made a huge impact on so many students through the opportunities and programs she has brought to VHS. Additionally, the classes I took at VHS helped prepare me for this opportunity by teaching me to manage my time. During my internship, I also had to balance another job, playing soccer, and staying on top of my classes.” Yesi continued to say many people at VHS helped prepare her for success not only within her internship but also in future endeavors. Yesi says, “There are so many educators who made a tremendous impact on me, but those that stand out are Jason Johnson and Katherine Adams. Mr. Johnson taught me so much about the business world when the iTeam opened the coffee shop at Van High School that I now use in my life. Mrs. Adams taught me to never give up on the things I want both in and out of school. She truly believed that I could do anything I set my mind to.”
These internship opportunities with community partners benefit not only VHS students but also the businesses themselves. Kristi Johnston of Southside Bank says, “Both Southside Bank and student interns benefit from this unique program. Southside Bank benefits by meeting the criteria for the Community Reinvestment Act as well as the potential to gain new employees who are qualified and trained upon completion of their internship. For our district partners, this program creates an on-the-job work experience and hands-on learning for CTE students in a business or finance pathway. This is an innovative way to deliver comprehensive financial literacy for student interns.”
Yessi says this about the benefits of her internship experience, “The Southside Bank internship had a huge impact on my life. I learned more about how banks and money work, which taught me to manage my own money more responsibly. After the internship program, I was offered a job at Southside Bank. The internship truly led to a choice that changed my life for the better. I went from being a waitress without knowing how much I would make during any given shift to finally having a steady job with an amazing team! I am so grateful for the Southside Bank internship. I can’t thank Van High School enough for not only providing this opportunity to students like me, but also making sure we are prepared to handle it through quality education.”
Van ISD CTE Director Karla Rainey says, “We are extremely pleased businesses in our community and extended community partner with Van ISD CTE through student internships, scholarships, business tours, guest speaking, student mentoring, and numerous other valuable opportunities. With this partnership, in particular, Southside Bank recognizes the immense return that develops when investing in students’ futures.”
Southside Bank won a 2020 Cornerstone Award from the Texas Bankers Association for their work in developing, launching, and administering this program.
If you are interested in learning more about becoming a VISD CTE Community Partner, contact Karla Rainey at 903–963–8730 x3212 or karla.rainey@vanisd.org.
