For GPS students, discovering what comes next can begin long before college. This summer, 13 students had the opportunity to step beyond the GPS campus and explore possible careers through the school’s inaugural summer internship and mentorship program.

Students were matched with 11 host organizations representing a wide range of professional fields, including psychology, law, event planning, medicine, actuarial science and insurance, quantum networking and computing, and nonprofit work. The placements gave students an opportunity to see professionals at work and experience the day-to-day realities of a field they are considering.

“For a first-year program, I thought it was a remarkable success,” said Anders Swanson, Senior Associate Director of College Counseling. “One of the central reasons we started the program was to give our students a meaningful way to explore possible careers, and to connect with someone in a field of interest who can serve as a resource and sounding board.”

For Victoria Schmidlin ’27, that meant spending two weeks at the Office of the Chapter 13 Trustee, a bankruptcy law firm in downtown Chattanooga, where she shadowed attorney Karen Jolley, a GPS alumna from the Class of 2004. Victoria attended court proceedings and meetings with debtors and creditors, observed a federal sentencing hearing, conducted research, and met with attorneys working in other areas of law.

Victoria has been interested in law throughout high school through activities such as Model United Nations, Mock Trial and Youth in Government. But seeing the profession firsthand gave her a perspective that those experiences could not.

“I think just actually going into a workplace and seeing what that day to day was like was really useful for me,” she said.

Her experience also gave her a broader view of the legal profession. Karen introduced Victoria to attorneys working in corporate and criminal law, among other areas, allowing her to see the range of paths within the field.

“It's really not until you get in there and you actually see what it's like that you really understand,” Victoria said.

For Areli Vincent ’27, the program offered a window into a different kind of professional setting. Interested in neuroscience and psychology, Areli was matched with Dr. Jason Steadman, a child psychologist whose daughter attends GPS. Her placement was intentionally flexible, allowing her to join Dr. Steadman when he had appointments and opportunities for her to observe throughout the summer.

Areli sat in on therapy sessions and testing, learned how ADHD assessments are conducted and scored, and saw the administrative work involved in running a private practice.

It was very interesting, she said, to see the lifestyle and day-to-day reality of practicing psychology in a small private setting.

The experience also connected naturally with work Areli was already pursuing outside the classroom. As a Laureate Scholar, she is conducting research on how music affects cognitive processes and youth development, and she plans to study neuroscience and psychology in college.

That connection between students’ existing interests and authentic experiences is at the heart of the program.

“The goal of our program isn’t necessarily for a student to finish a placement saying, ‘This is definitely what I’m going to do with my life,’” Anders said. “What matters is providing her opportunities to test her interests in authentic settings and to begin connecting what she is learning at GPS with the possibilities available to her beyond GPS.”

Zoe Robinson ’28 saw that process play out through her placement with event planner and GPS alumna Dori Waller ’99. After hearing Dori speak during the Women’s History Month panel about running her own business, Zoe was intrigued by the possibility of learning more about entrepreneurship and event planning.

During her placement, she helped with two major events, including a wedding and a Lodge Cast Iron family reunion in Chattanooga, while also assisting with the behind-the-scenes work that keeps an event business running.

The experience showed Zoe that creating a successful event involves much more than what guests see. She helped with everything from organizing materials to making sure the smallest details were in place.

“I didn't expect it to be so detailed,” Zoe said, describing how event timelines could be structured down to 15-minute increments. “There's so much that comes together that you need to be doing to make it run smoothly.”

The experience has left Zoe interested in pursuing business or public affairs in college, and she is already considering returning for another summer with Dori.

Zoe also learned something equally valuable. Sometimes the best way to discover what you want to do is to try something and find out.

Dori herself shared a similar story with Zoe. As a GPS student, she participated in an earlier career experience with a television newscaster and realized that field was not for her. That experience helped her recognize that business was where her interests and passions lay.

“Even if you don't even know what it's about or if you're going to like it at all,” Zoe said, “just try it.”

That spirit of exploration reflects the larger purpose of the program. Experiential learning gives students space to ask questions, pursue curiosity and begin imagining how their interests might translate into meaningful work and lives beyond GPS.

The inaugural program was made possible through a network of GPS alumnae, current parents and longtime supporters of the school. Five alumnae served as hosts during the first year, along with four current parents and several other members of the GPS community.

Anders hopes to expand the program next summer, creating an even broader range of opportunities for students. Several additional potential hosts have already reached out about participating.

As GPS students begin thinking about college and life beyond campus, experiences like these offer an important reminder: discovering a path does not always require having the destination figured out. Sometimes, it begins with the chance to step into a workplace, ask questions, learn from someone a few steps ahead and see where curiosity leads.