Meet SIS Intern Sara Marean, she is a Human Development and Family Science major at GMU. In the Spring 2026 semester, she interned at a private school named Prince William Academy. Read more on her internship experience below:
My role was to observe, analyze, and help when needed in general education classrooms, enrichment programs such as robotics, music, art, and orchestra, and their world language classes which include Mandarin, Arabic, and Spanish. My main responsibilities were to observe and analyze through an HDFS lens and to apply HDFS concepts and knowledge learned in the classroom to a real life setting. I already was involved with Prince William Academy as a teacher so I reached out to Mason internship advisors to see if I could work out a plan to complete an internship with Prince William Academy, and they were so helpful through this process and made it so easy to get the details worked out and the internship started! Through this internship I have gained valuable skills such as professional communication, problem solving under pressure, and deepening my understanding of how to support proper child development in a school setting. Throughout my internship one of the most important lessons I have learned is there are going to be many times when things are out of your immediate control, so it is crucial to stay flexible, open-minded, and do the best you can with what you have. I would definitely recommend this internship experience to anyone interested, Prince William Academy and GMU have made this experience so fulfilling and beneficial.
This internship has solidified my choice in a career in education, the rewarding feeling of helping students through any problem whether academic or social-emotional is unmatched. A very exciting moment during my internship was when I got to work on a special event called International Day. Every class chose a country and completed art projects, shared food, and research on their chosen country. The parents and other students had the opportunity to tour each classroom and learn something new. If I could sum up my internship in a couple words, they would be impactful and foundational, because of the impression made on me by the students and staff and the solid foundation of professional skills I have built. Lastly, a piece of advice I would give to students interested in pursuing an internship is not to do it alone and always stay connected with your advisors, without my internship advisors this experience would not have been nearly as informational and manageable.