“Writer Swap” is a collaboration with other Holy Cross high school newspapers. We will work with editors from Holy Cross High School of San Antonio, Texas and San Juan Diego Catholic High School of Austin, Texas to hear stories and traditions from their schools and see the differences in various Holy Cross institutions.
What separates San Juan Diego, located in Austin, Texas, from other Holy Cross schools is that we participate in what’s called the Corporate Internship Program, or CIP. We are known as “The School that Works.” Essentially, what this means is that we are not only being given an academic education, but we are also being taught and given learning opportunities to build our workforce capability. San Juan Diego Saints go to their respective sponsor locations one to two times a week for a full workday. There is a wide variety of locations, including schools, hospitals, law firms, financial firms, and other trades.
With the many positions offered through our program, it would be difficult to ask everyone about their experience; however, I was able to reach Emily Jimenez (’25). Jimenez works at Ascension Seton at the University of Texas, where she is a Patient Care Technician Intern gaining her skills in the healthcare industry. Some of her many tasks include cleaning the operating rooms for the next surgeries, making beds for patients, and taking specimens down to the lab to be examined. While Jimenez now works at the hospital, that was not always the case. As a freshman at San Juan Diego, she was placed as an accounts receivable intern at Dell Technologies until she was transferred to her current position in her junior year.
After high school, Jimenez plans to become a radiologist technician in the CathLab. With the help of CIP, she has been able to make connections with people in that line of work and build her resume. Even though her first two years in the program were in a field that she was less interested in, Jimenez was able to form an understanding of what she does and doesn’t want to do in the workforce.
For the internship program to operate properly, it relies on several prerequisites—Mr. Luis Serna, the director, handles it all. Mr. Serna is the heart, soul, and mind of the program; without him, this program would not be possible. With that, he has only been at San Juan Diego since this past summer and has not had much time to get settled. Even after a short time running CIP, Mr. Serna is confident about the program and its potential for students. Its main purpose is to provide students with exposure to ideas and opportunities they may not have known were available, but also to prepare them for the corporate world. Mr. Serna says that, in the long run, students will come out of this experience with not only new skills and professional development, but also with the mental ability to work in any scenario. Through his dedication and vision, Mr. Serna ensures that the CIP program both equips students for success and empowers them to thrive in a rapidly evolving professional landscape.
In addition to providing invaluable professional experience, the CIP program offers a financial lifeline to students. Thanks to the generosity of program sponsors, half of each student’s tuition is covered, making higher education more accessible and less burdensome. This unique partnership between the school, Mr. Serna’s leadership, and dedicated sponsors creates an environment where students can focus on both academic and professional growth. Ultimately, this collaborative effort ensures that students are well-prepared to embark on their career paths with confidence and resilience.
