G.R.I.T. Students Show Off Real-World Learning

As students across Connecticut begin the new school year, some are returning to class after a summer filled with learning.

Students in Connecticut have been back in school for a few weeks, but for dozens of Hartford-area students, the learning didn’t stop over the summer.

More than 120 students recently completed CBIA affiliate ReadyCT’s G.R.I.T. (Get Ready! Immersive Traineeship) summer program.

The five-week paid internship program offered students opportunities to work on a 17 different real-world projects for 13 different companies and organizations.

This is the third year for the program that has grown each year. 

“Everyone who works at ReadyCT understands the importance of internship experiences that happen well before high school graduation,” ReadyCT executive director Shannon Marimón said during the G.R.I.T. summer showcase Aug. 7 at Pathways Academy in East Hartford.

G.R.I.T. Projects

Some of the student projects involved cybersecurity, AI, robotics, programming, or translating the DiSC model for younger people.

Teams of students presented their final projects at the showcase.

One of the companies to participate in the 2024 G.R.I.T. program is The Hartford. 

“It was important for us to become involved with a summer training program for local students.”

The Hartford’s Cindy Angelini

“We’re committed to supporting our namesake city, and it was important for us to become involved with a summer training program for local students,” said The Hartford learning career development manager Cindy Angelini.

“Partnering with ReadyCT is another way that we are working to make education more equitable and accessible, while supporting our neighbors and the community in Hartford.”

Angelini sits on ReadyCT’s advisory board for Weaver High School Insurance & Finance Pathway. 

“We wanted an internship where students from the Connecticut school systems could take a look and see what it’s like to work for an insurance company.”

Apprenticeship Project

For their G.R.I.T. project, The Hartford asked students to look at the company’s apprenticeship program.

The program offers paid training in a career in the insurance industry for students studying at local community colleges.

“When talking about apprenticeships, most people think of a trade, an electrician, or a plumber,” Angelini said.

“They don’t think that there’s businesses that are out there that also have programs that are outside of the trades.”

Angelini

“They don’t think that there’s businesses that are out there that also have programs that are outside of the trades.”

“So, we asked the G.R.I.T. students to compare apprenticeship programs with four-year college degrees.”

The students researched apprenticeship programs in the United States, and other parts of the world, including different industries and salaries.

Working Together

Throughout the summer, the students worked together, and with advisors from The Hartford to discuss and collaborate on their project. 

“They actually took the time out of their day multiple times to sit down with us and go through our presentations, and give us feedback,” said Giselle Stephenson, a student at Great Path Academy in Manchester.

“They helped us a lot with really making sure we have the confidence to come up here today and present.”

“You could tell they were nervous, but you could also tell how much work they’d put into it and how proud they were of it all,” Angelini said.

For their final project, the students put together a video and a pamphlet highlighting the benefits of The Hartford’s apprenticeship program. 

“Basically what we did was find ways to promote the program,” said Stephenson. “Instead of having to look through long websites, registration stuff, we basically made it high schooler friendly.”

Angelini said the team at The Hartford was impressed with the students’ project and their ideas.

“I’m going to share the students’ ideas with our Marketing & Communications team so that we can incorporate some of those changes,” she said.

Skill Building

The G.R.I.T. program is about more than just providing students with internships.

They also walk away from the program with new skills like team-building, time management, critical thinking, and contingency planning. 

“How is that going to be applied in a real-world setting, so that it can inform decisions about what you’re going to do when you graduate high school,” Marimón told the students.

“This taught me a lot of patience and a lot of just really getting to know other people.”

Stephenson

“This program was important because it created the opportunity for them to create business-ready skills—conducting research, collaborating and influencing others, and building relationships,” Angelini said.

“I did grow as a person,” Stephenson said. 

“I never really saw myself as able to manage a group of people efficiently,” Stephenson said.

“This taught me a lot of patience and a lot of just really getting to know other people. So ReadyCT did help me understand certain things for my future career.”