Intern Spotlight: Mount Vernon High School Students
Meet the high school interns supporting Downtown Mount Vernon businesses
By: Julieta Larios
If you happened to visit downtown Mount Vernon over the past few months, you may have spotted high school interns like Priscila Cortez Martinez at bLoom Floral or Yuliana Garcia Martinez at Arrows Aim Greenhouse & Supply Co. Through the Mount Vernon High School internship program, students gain hands-on work experience while developing valuable skills for their future.
At bLoom, Cortez Martinez handles a variety of tasks, including organizing floral buckets, assisting customers, and learning to create hand-tied bouquets. She joined bLoom through Mount Vernon High School’s work-hours-for-credit program. After taking a floral design class at school and looking for a job, she was matched with the shop for her internship and has been working there since this past February.
“My coworkers have taught me a lot. It has been really fun working here,” said Cortez Martinez. “It’s my first job. It's a fun, amazing first job to have.”
Cortez Martinez hopes the experience will help her build professional skills and become more financially independent. She says she has already learned a lot about customer service and communication.
In addition to working at bLoom, she balances being a high school student while attending the Northwest Career and Technical Academy’s Construction Corps program. At the conclusion of her internship, bLoom offered Cortez Martinez a full-time position, which she plans to continue while in school.
Garcia Martinez’s experience has followed a similar path. After searching for a job, she was paired with Arrows Aim Greenhouse & Supply Co. through Mount Vernon High School’s work-hours-for-credit program. Since beginning her internship in March, she has helped organize and water the shop’s many plants while helping with other daily tasks. Over the course of her internship, she has developed customer service skills and learned how to work efficiently under pressure.
Garcia Martinez said she enjoys working in downtown Mount Vernon because of its welcoming atmosphere. “I would say, we are all like family,” she said, referring to downtown.
