Established in 2004, Internship Connection is a structured, academic program that provides high school and college students with “real-world” career experience through prestigious Summer or Gap semester internships in Boston, New York City and Austin.  Program components include: career guidance, resume and interview prep, feedback on reflective journals and a guaranteed placement. Over the years we have developed close relationships with mentors, organizations and business accelerators in a wide variety of fields, who continually see out the students in our program. Knowing that colleges are interested in high school students who are well rounded but also have a special academic interest or talent that they have pursued in-depth, we review the student’s courses and extra-curricular activities, helping them identify a “thread of interest” that can be developed further through an internship. Then we contact potential mentors and establish an internship that will enhance the student’s learning experience and academic resume. For college students, an internship is extremely valuable as a way to either confirm or eliminate a future college major, saving both time and financial resources. In addition, students begin the process of building a resume and professional contacts.