Kirsten Kepler is the only freshly minted McMinnville High School graduate to earn a spot in the McMinnville WORKS internship program this summer. She landed in the Yamhill County Clerk’s office and spends her day digitizing and indexing vital records into a searchable database. So far, she’s completed about 30 years of records.
The nine-week WORKS program, part of the McMinnville Economic Development Partnership (MEDP) is intended to build a talented workforce for the community. This year, Kepler is one of 20 paid interns paired with a local business or public agency.
Kepler graduated in with an endorsement in the Engineering & Aerospace Sciences Academy (EASA) pathway and plans to major in mechanical engineering at the Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT).
She’s already earned over 30 hours in college credits, which translates into the ability to begin upper level math as a freshman at OIT. “I may end up getting a math degree, too, because I have so many credits already,” she said.
Besides the possibility of earning a double major, Kepler said the college credits might make it possible to participate in an internship program during the school year without delaying graduation.
18 August, 2016