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High School
Steps’ programs for Brookline High School (BHS) students feature a focus on career and college exploration as we prepare students for their post-secondary futures.
Each summer, over 30 students participate in the Work Connections program, a paid opportunity to complete an internship at a worksite such as the Brookline Town Clerk’s Office or Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, while also attending professional development workshops. Students are also supported in the college search and application process from freshman year onwards, with Steps offering college visits, SAT and application workshops, and individualized support.
Work Connections
Work Connections is a paid job experience program that takes place over the summer, with students placed at work sites around the community.
During the six-week program, students report to their worksites from Monday through Thursday, gaining important work experience in fields ranging from local government to medicine to education. On Fridays, students report to Brookline High School for Professional Development workshops, in which students learn to write compelling resumes, discuss what it means to act and communicate professionally, and build financial knowledge and skills.
The Work Connections program is designed to introduce students to their first workplace experience, help students explore their academic and career interests, and connect students to a network of community resources and opportunities. Many students remain in touch with their worksites even when the Work Connections program comes to a close each summer.
While Work Connections takes place exclusively over the summer, Steps also works to place our students in meaningful internship opportunities during the school year, including at Brookline Interactive Group and Brookline Proven. Steps is currently working to unlock more work opportunities for students during the school year!
If you are interested in hosting an intern at your organization please contact Destaunia Perry, High School Pathways Manager.
Thank You To Our
Work Connections Partners!
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Brookline Adult & Community Education (BACE)
Brookline Department of Public Health
Brookline Early Education Program (BEEP)
Brookline Recreation Department
Brookline Town Hall - Clerk's Office
Brookline Interactive Group
Brookline Recreation Center
Brookline High School - Copy Room
College Counseling & Test Prep
The majority of Steps’ students identify as first-generation college students.
Almost all of our students rely on public and private financial aid to make college affordable. To address the specific challenges faced by our students, Steps works with students as early as 9th grade to eliminate barriers to attaining a college education. We aim to close the opportunity gap through early and personalized guidance that not only prepares our students for the college application process, but also prepares them for on-campus success.
Specific programs are tailored to the needs of our students at various grade levels, ranging from meetings with students in 9th grade to help explore BHS clubs and extracurricular opportunities, to multi-week SAT preparation sessions for students in 11th grade to help boost confidence and strengthen test scores.
In 12th grade, in collaboration with students’ guidance counselors and other staff members at Brookline High School, Steps offers personalized support to students and families navigating the college admissions and financial aid process.
In addition to meetings and workshops at BHS, Steps also understands the importance of helping our students “see themselves on campus.” To support this goal, Steps organizes college trips for our high school students over school holidays and vacation weeks. During each trip, students tour a college or university, meet with admissions representatives, take a campus tour, and eat lunch at the dining hall to gain an understanding of undergraduate life and help inform their applications and college decision process.
Other Programs
Community Meetings, which take place once a month for each grade level, are designed to engage students on topics they may not be encountering in their classes but are relevant to their futures. The meetings range in subject from preparation strategies for the PSAT/SAT to discussions of email etiquette to creations of vision boards for the future. Students are encouraged to participate actively, ask questions, and learn from each other during these meetings.
Interested in learning more about our high school programs or partnering with Steps in delivering high-quality programming to our students?
Don't hesitate to reach out!
Tony Wells
Director of High School Programs & Career and College Success Initiative