Seniors at MICDS experience a Winter Term unlike their schoolmates: it’s entirely of their own choosing. Winter Term, a two-week period of unique and experiential learning, falls between our first and second semesters after Winter Break. This time is given to seniors to gain real-world experience. When challenged to find internships, volunteer roles, or job shadowing opportunities, our seniors get creative to explore their passions.
This year, our seniors ventured into the world and spent time at a variety of businesses and non-profits, including Confluent Holdings, Vo Medical Clinic, Pooju Ooju Clothes Inc., Trophy Properties, Bespoken, SLU Dermatology, Keeley Construction, Clouds End Farm, Danforth Plant Science Center, Fantastic Canines, The Novel Neighbor, Thompson Coburn LLC, the Missouri Chapter of the Sierra Club, Operation Food Search, Carmody Law, Casa de Salud, Mercy Hospital, Elite Baseball Academy, Community School, St. Louis Art Museum, Esse Health, Gateway Atelier of the Classical Arts, Missouri Voters Protection Coalition, Patisserie Choquette, Brinkmann Construction, Kind Body, WATCO, Soboba Tribal Administration, Stray Rescue, Longmeadow Rescue Ranch, Office of the Missouri Attorney General, Mercy, Athletico, The Woman’s Exchange, Dewey International School, Animal Protective Association, Children’s Hospital, Best Wash, Department of Justice, Aspen Dental, Missouri Botanical Gardens, and much more!
Some of our seniors reported the many ways they gained real-world experience during Winter Term 2025:
Anna Dehlendorf ’26
Missouri Baptist Hospital and Mercy Pediatric Clinic in O’Fallon
I shadowed two doctors during my winter term. One was a heart surgeon, Dr. Schulte, at MoBap and the other was a pediatrician, Dr. Joyce. I chose these two doctors because I would like to go into medicine, but I don’t know which specific profession is right for me. During those two weeks, I spent most of my time with Dr. Schulte. She was very sweet and showed me the various aspects of her job. The OR was what stuck out to me the most. I saw both open-heart surgery and a less invasive surgery during my time there. The first time I saw the sternum being opened in the heart surgery I almost passed out because I didn’t know what to expect. After that first surgery, though, I was fine for the rest of my time. I got to see the heart beating in the chest, the machine and method to stop the heart, the different replacement valves, and lots of sewing. I also spent a day in the ICU, caring for post-op patients, a day in the step-down facility for the people about to go home, saw surgeon meetings, and the clinic to see the patients not staying in the hospital. At the pediatrics office, I saw children with varying conditions and concerns. Some just needed a check-up, some were sick visit appointments, and a few were mental health-related. What I loved most about both of these places was seeing the other side of healthcare since I have only been on the patient side.
Andrew Ford ’26
City Academy
An alumnus of City Academy, Andrew Ford ’26 returned to his old school to complete a service project for Winter Term. He supported the school’s fifth and sixth-grade math classes as they dove into algebra, assisted in the Junior Kindergarten Spanish class, and jumped in to help with lunch duty. “It was wonderful having him back in the building, sharing his secondary school experiences with our oldest students,” City Academy shared.
Layla Gilbert ’26
Laffer Tengler Investments in Scottsdale, Arizona
During this time, I learned more about the stock market and had a couple of lessons given to me about bonds. Laffer Tengler crafts personalized investment strategies, and during my time there, I was able to do a write-up on Abercrombie & Fitch Co. as a mid-cap stock the company could look at investing in. I pursued this opportunity because understanding the stock market on a deeper level is important to me, and understanding how to decide what is a good investment is also something I value.
Claire Kaiser ’26
Brinkmann Construction
I interned with Brinkmann Construction and followed a project engineer on his day-to-day work. I pursued this opportunity because I have been interested in following a path to civil engineering and ultimately ending up in a similar position. Pursuing this allowed me to solidify my interest in following this career path. I was on the job site of an apartment complex that was on the backend of completion, when, following my mentor I was able to learn how job sites work and how to manage everything as a team to reach the best result.
Audrey Marino ’26
SLU Hospital
Over Winter Term, I spent two weeks shadowing an Orthopedic Trauma Surgeon named Dr. Emily Wild at SLU Hospital. On Mondays and Tuesdays, she has clinic hours, so I spent time chatting with patients and watching as she explained their options in relation to surgery. It was very valuable for me to learn how to interact with patients in a sympathetic manner, as my future career will require me to do this on a daily basis. For the rest of the time, we were in the OR, and I got the opportunity to sit in on many different orthopedic surgeries. This internship allowed me to learn so much, as I made different observations about the roles of each person in the OR. Obviously there are the surgeons at the center who are hands on, placing screws and plates but for them to be able to do this they need the help of the anesthesiologists who ensure that the patient remains asleep during the surgery, the scrub tech who hands the surgeons their tools, the nurses who are responsible for charting everything that is used and going on supply runs and finally the x-ray team who provide constant imaging of the fractures and help the surgeons see their work more clearly. I was able to chat with all of these people, and it was so interesting to hear about all the different things that make one surgery successful. I got to see several ankle surgeries, and a few elbows and feet. The most interesting was on a man’s knee/ shin. He had been shot and had several different fractures along his tibia and lots of bone fragments floating around. They had to place three plates on his tibia and also a large screw down through the middle of the bone. This was the most interesting because they had to use both plates and screws and the process of this was so intricate. I really valued this experience because I became more familiar and comfortable in an OR setting, which will be very valuable as I begin my education for my future career. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity, and it is something I will always remember.
Chereen Sabalvaro ’26
Department of Justice in the Philippines
I chose this organization because I worked with it over the summer and had a positive experience. I wanted to repeat it, and my original reason for choosing it was that I want to go into family law. My specific office’s focus was on child trafficking and exploitation, which is a really prevalent issue in the Philippines. I was able to attend meetings, public relations events, and contribute to policy research. Overall, this internship helped me better understand what I want for my future and pushed me to grow as a person. Even though it was in the public sector, it actually solidified my desire to pursue a private-sector career because I realized I work best in faster-paced environments where I can take more initiative, which I think is valuable in itself. In the end, I feel like I developed more patience, adaptability, and professionalism, and I learned that growth can come from realizing what environments are and aren’t right for you, whilst still appreciating the experiences you have.
Alice Seddon ’26
Vogue College of Fashion and St. Louis Magazine
For the first week of winter term I went to New York City to do a program with Vogue College of Fashion. I learned mainly about the business side of the fashion industry, for example: I got an inside look at how leading designers came to be in the industry, how companies start themselves up and gain a name for themselves. I found it so interesting to learn about the importance behind the look of a brand and how they present themselves to their audience. Looking beyond the items a brand sells and seeing the ways their storefronts look, and the customer that they aim to sell to showed me what the look of a brand is all about. I heard from many leading voices at Vogue which was so insightful when trying to learn what I wanted to do with my future. I visited Conde Nast headquarters where I saw inside the New Yorker office and many other workspaces which left me in awe of the hard work and lifestyle that so many people live, especially in New York City. I also visited the Nordstrom flagship store and got to see an inside look at how they run as a prosperous retailer and have for many decades.
During the second week of Winter Term, I worked with Veronica Theodoro at St. Louis Magazine. I attended what is called “Company Week” with her where everyone who works for St. Louis Magazine comes together to talk over their successes of the past year along with what they want to work towards in the future. It was so interesting to see the inner workings of a more localized company and how they aim to connect with their viewers. I learned about the importance of community and how that really draws the region into events, articles and any other offerings by the magazine. It was so interesting for me to shadow Mrs. Theodoro as she visited different design spaces and showed me how she begins her work on different companies and spaces. I loved being able to see both sides of regional and national media and how it is so different but also similar at the same time.
Gabe Sedhigi ’26
MICDS Marketing & Communications
During my winter term internship, I did a myriad of different things, but all under the categories of photography, interviews with MICDS students and staff, and story writing/editing for the MICDS website. In each of these areas, I learned unique skills that can be applied to other life situations. Through photography I learned how to wait and listen for the right moment and then strike when the iron is hot to get that dynamic shot which would bring my story to life. Because of this, I became attuned to the balance of waiting through long, calm periods and acting decisively in the short, chaotic periods and how to take the initiative in any situation. Through my interviews with MICDS students and staff, I gained confidence and empathy as I was able to communicate with people from many different backgrounds, regardless of their status, and understand their reason for what they liked about any particular class they were in. Finally I learned about the process that goes behind any media campaign as this is where the magic truly happens. Not only did I write the stories, but I also had to create the web page where they would be presented. In doing so I had to take all of the elements I listed prior and combine into a single, coherent story that is presentable and engaging to whoever reads it. In doing so, I felt like I was kind of becoming the face for MICDS in how it presents itself to the wider public. Now, this winter term experience was not my original pick, but I’m glad that I ended up with it. Afterall, who wants to spend five hours a day in a tiny, dimly-lit office room when instead you could experience the fascinating classes being taught during Winter Term first hand. Also I got to film a great rendition of the Lion King by the Middle School students. I would rate this experience a 12/10 and would recommend current juniors to do their winter term internship with the MICDS Marketing and Communications team.
Natasha Wells ’26
Animal Protective Association of Missouri (APAMO)
I did my internship at the Animal Protective Association of Missouri (APAMO) and spent most of my time in the surgery center and the wellness clinic. Before this internship, I was unsure if I would be able to be a veterinarian in the future due to the procedures that they perform. But after being exposed to a variety of procedures such as spays/neuters, an eye surgery, dentals, and phlebotomies, and noticing that I was not only capable of watching but also interested by them, I feel a lot more confident in my ability to pursue this aspect of the career. It was also nice that the vets trusted me enough to work with the anesthesia machines, fill vaccines, etc. While observing interactions between the veterinarians and their clients in the clinic, I admired how hard the doctors worked to make clients feel informed and comfortable with what was going on with their animal. Overall, because I have a strong passion for animals, it was amazing to watch people with similar values examine and care for them like I hope to do in the future. I am super grateful to have had this experience and it feels great to have a stronger idea of what my career may look like.
Many of our host organizations reported positive experiences with the Class of 2026, sharing that our students were focused, curious, teachable, kind, enthusiastic and interested in learning, were hard workers, had wonderful attitudes, and made valuable contributions.
What wonderful opportunities for our seniors to explore future careers and see behind-the-scenes at a variety of organizations! Well done, Class of 2026!