Mentoring High School Students in Real-World Internships: BuildUp Internships
Served as a mentor and team leader at Build Up Internships, guiding two high school student teams in completing real-world projects with BleuStory and Love Intuition, both Duke University affiliated brands. Managed students, parents, company representatives, and program coordinators, developing leadership, patience, and communication skills while ensuring project success.
Project Type
Fellowship | Leadership & Mentorship | Stakeholder Management
Date
December 2024
Timeline
8 Weeks
My Role
Mentor & Team Leader – Led two teams of high school students in completing real-world projects with U.S.-based brands
Project Overview
Build Up Internships connects high school students (Grades 9–12) with real-world companies for eight-week experiential internships. As a mentor, I was responsible for designing the internship roadmap, coaching students, and acting as the liaison between multiple stakeholders:
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Students – guiding, motivating, and training them to deliver real-world projects.
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Parents – updating them on progress and maintaining trust.
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Build Up Internships – aligning with program expectations.
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Companies – introducing students to brand representatives and ensuring deliverables met professional standards.
I led two student teams, one working with BleuStory and the other with Love Intuition. My leadership responsibilities included:
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Designing and delivering an 8-week internship plan.
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Hosting office hours to guide students through challenges.
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Conducting a training workshop and presentation for one of my teams.
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Coaching students in creating final reports and presentations for company representatives.
Leadership Highlights
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Team Leadership: Led two diverse student teams through the entire internship process, ensuring they remained engaged and productive.
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Mentorship: Built rapport with students, identified their strengths, and helped them contribute meaningfully to the projects.
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Stakeholder Communication: Balanced expectations and communication across four groups—students, parents, Build Up staff, and company representatives.
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Workshops & Training: Designed and delivered a mentorship presentation session, improving student confidence and clarity.
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Final Deliverables: Guided students in preparing professional reports and presentations to present directly to U.S.-based company representatives.
My Learnings
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Strengthened my leadership and mentorship abilities, especially with younger students.
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Learned how to manage multiple stakeholders with different priorities.
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Built patience and adaptability in guiding first-time interns through real-world challenges.
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Developed confidence in public speaking, facilitation, and training delivery.
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Understood the importance of time management and structured planning in long-term projects.
BleuStory PPT
Love Intuition PPT
Love Intuition Report
Glimpses of Student Reports and PPTs
BleuStory Report
What Made this Project Extra Special For Me!
While the leadership and project management aspects were incredibly valuable, what truly made this experience meaningful were the students themselves. Over the course of eight weeks, they shared messages of appreciation that reminded me why mentorship matters, helping young learners feel supported, inspired, and confident in their first exposure to real-world work. I'm a firm believer of leading with empathy and I'm glad it came through!
Some of the most special moments were the heartfelt messages they sent me, expressing gratitude for my patience, encouragement, and guidance. These small notes reminded me that leadership isn’t only about delivering results...it’s about leaving a lasting impact on people.
