At Boston Latin School, students receive various professional opportunities, gaining first-hand knowledge and experiences in the professional world, through the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC), the Deitch Leadership Institute (DLI) and the John William Ward Public Service Fellowship.
This year, BLS hired new career specialist and PIC coordinator Ms. Erin Laverty. As a career specialist, she offers students guidance with mock interviews, resume preparation and professional skill development. After graduating college in 2019, Ms. Laverty began her career in education. Initially focusing on special education, she decided to join the Boston Private Industry Council in November 2023, equipping high school students with skills crucial for the professional world. Ms. Laverty explains, “BLS does a great job of preparing students with the college prep curriculum — the PIC makes for a great partnership with BLS to really push students to take the next step and prepare for work life as well.”
In addition to PIC, sophomores and above have the chance to apply to become a Deitch Fellow for the DLI. Established by Joe Deitch (BLS ‘68), the Deitch Leadership Institute provides students with leadership opportunities through internships at prominent organizations, most of which are located in Boston, and professional development workshops both in and out of school. The Deitch Leadership Institute Summer Fellowship further connects students to professionals in industries including business, finance, law, education and the nonprofit sector.
Mr. Jim Levesque, director of the DLI, explains, “The DLI operates inside Boston Latin School as an educational platform for leadership training focused on real-world application. […] By the end of the summer fellowship experience, students report learning a great deal about the professional world, about specific industries, about pathways that take a student from college to the professional world, and about their own career interests, passions and ambitions.”
As stated in BLS’s core values, students are also encouraged to make an impact in their community, ideals that the Ward Fellowship emphasizes to students interested in the program. The fellowship offers BLS students who have completed their junior or senior year an opportunity to work in the office of an elected or appointed public servant in state government, municipal government, the judicial system or the major press. In addition to office duties, students are able to make substantive contributions to their communities in the form of public service.
The fellowship gives students the chance to further their career interests by directly interacting with experts and attaining experience beyond what other high schoolers are given. Former Ward Fellow Aidan Ormsby (I) agrees, sharing, “My fellowship experience was remarkable, I was placed in an office and environment that very few high school students have access to. […] As Ward Fellows, we also go out once or twice a week to other Fellows’ placements around the city, making for interesting conversations with Attorney General Andrea Campbell (BLS ’00), Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden or even Mayor Wu.”
Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the variety of opportunities that Boston Latin School offers.
