15 years ago, the Orangewood Foundation started the Samueli Academy, a project-based learning school designed to address the specific education needs of foster children and to increase classroom productivity. The school stresses real life problem solving, skills-based learning programs, and social capital. Now a thriving public charter school available to students in the community (in addition to foster students), Antis Roofing has an outstanding partnership with the school through an internship program that provides students with professional skills-based experiences with the company.

The true lifeblood of a company is its employees, which is why Antis committed to bringing on interns from this wonderful academy. We encourage everyone to learn from these inspiring interviews with these bright students. Following his internship, we sat down with rockstar high schooler, Aram Salgado.

Antis: Tell us about yourself, where did you grow up? Tell us about the Samueli Academy? How has it impacted your life?

Aram: I grew up in Santa Ana and am the youngest in a big family of six kids. Up until high school I went to public schools, until I was given the chance to try something different at Samueli Academy. At the Academy, I have a chance to challenge myself and grow as both a person and future professional.

The school changed my life by giving me the skills needed to succeed in the working world by offering classes such as Public Speaking and Engineering. I really like Engineering, which is a subject I’d never been exposed to before. Even if a student taking these classes does not pursue a career in engineering, there are still many help full concepts to be learned in the class such as problem solving, collaboration, and project management.

Antis: What attracted you about interning at Antis Roofing and Waterproofing? How has this internship prepare you for your future career goals?

Aram: At Samueli Academy, students participate in an internship during the summer of their junior year. So, I wanted to find an internship that would best suit my needs and interests. At the recommendation of the councilor, I checked out the Antis website and was really attracted to the fact that they worked so closely to Habitat for Humanity. So, I decided to sign up for an interview and one thing lead to the next, and now I just completed my internship.

Even in my short summer with the company, I learned valuable career skills like team participation, time management, and initiative ownership. It’s a great company and full of good people. This internship an incredible, authentic learning experience.

Antis: Walk us through what you did on your internship, what have you learned? Who did you work closely with and what did they teaching you? What skills have you learned at the Academy that you have used on your internship?

Aram: In the first few weeks, I completed a variety of projects for different departments, which gave me the opportunity to really understand how operating a business works. Ernie Basulto in Human Resources Department oversaw these first few projects, which exposed me to the human side of a company and what good management truly looks like. I came to really appreciate the way Antis looks after its employees and promotes community services.

After completing these HR projects, I worked with the production supervisor, Jose Vasquez, and organized the database of building warranties and permits. My work with the production team taught me the importance of taking the initiative and internal organization.

Finally, I volunteered with the company at a Habitat For Humanity build, where I assisted the construction workers by completing simple tasks. Overall these tasks taught me how to work independently and manage myself. This means budgeting your own time and following your instincts. Through the course of the internship, I brought skills from the Academy that helped me to succeed here. At the Academy I was thought to analyze any project or problem and see if there are any questions I have before I get started. This helped me really understand each project and allowed me to work at the best of my ability.

We’re grateful to have the opportunity to work with wonderful, motivated students like Aram. He was an asset to our team and immediately picked up on our culture of giving.