Teresa Seraphin, a third-year journalism student at George Washington University and graduate of Westfield High School, recently completed a summer internship with Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in the Office of Human Resources. During her six-week internship, Seraphin gained insight into the operations behind one of Virginia’s largest school systems.
Seraphin described how she was previously unaware of the number of staff required to run FCPS beyond principals, the superintendent, and the School Board. She noted that her experience revealed many employees working behind the scenes to support students’ daily experiences.
The HR department’s summer activities included hosting events and preparing for the upcoming school year. Seraphin and fellow interns Katie Breighner, Olivia Zemba, and Michael Pannutti assisted at a job fair at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, where more than 200 prospective teachers attended in hopes of joining FCPS.
Seraphin shadowed staff at the licensure table during the event. She met candidates from various backgrounds seeking to become educators: “It was refreshing to see such eagerness to serve the public through teaching,” she wrote.
The internship program placed 20 interns across 10 departments. Weekly professional development sessions covered topics such as communication skills, personal finance, resume building, and networking.
Seraphin also worked with FCPS’s Office of Communications due to her background in journalism. With guidance from Social Media Manager Delaina McCormack and Communications Support Specialist Sarah Morris, she launched an Instagram account (@fcpsinterns) highlighting intern activities over the summer. The account has grown to more than 200 followers since its launch.
“Managing the Instagram account has given me a peek into what a digital media job could look like,” Seraphin said. She credited McCormack and Morris with teaching her about accessibility in social media and presenting diversity online while maintaining audience engagement within FCPS brand standards.
Mentorship played a significant role throughout Seraphin’s internship. Her supervisors were Celeste Jones, HR business partner and internship coordinator, and Beth Boivin, HR special programs manager.
“I was so impressed at how comfortable they were with me because this was a brand new program,” Jones said. “It was a really nice, open relationship because I wasn’t their supervisor, so they could just ask me different things like ‘How do I do this?’ or ‘Can I come here?’”
Jones added: “I was just so impressed with our students and how diverse yet unified they are in their quest for learning.”
On her second-to-last day as an intern, Seraphin attended Great Beginnings Summer Institute (GBSI), a four-day orientation for new educators joining FCPS held at Hayfield Secondary School. The event brought together new teachers as they prepared for their roles in advance of the school year.
Reflecting on her experience with FCPS’s internship program—which is supported by Educate Fairfax and Apple Federal Credit Union—Seraphin emphasized seeing firsthand how staff members dedicate themselves to supporting students throughout Fairfax County Public Schools.
