An Intern’s Look Inside CIESC
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I’m so grateful for the opportunity to learn from such an amazing team and get a behind-the-scenes look at the work that supports schools and educators across Indiana.
This year, CIESC is lucky to have Morgan Keith, a senior at Franklin Community High School, join our team as our high school intern. Morgan plans to become an elementary educator, and she’s spending her school year learning how CIESC supports schools and educators across Indiana.
We asked Morgan to share her experience in her own words, and “From the Desk of the Intern” is the result. This is the first in a series of posts that will follow her through the year, offering a student’s-eye view of our work along with a lot of enthusiasm. We hope you enjoy getting to know her as much as we have.
Let’s Start Here
Hello, and welcome to the first of many “From the Desk of the Intern” blogs!
My name is Morgan Keith, and I am CIESC’s high school intern for the 2026–2027 school year! I am currently a senior at Franklin Community High School and chose this internship as part of my Work-Based Learning class.
After high school, I plan to pursue a degree in Elementary Education, which is ultimately what led me to CIESC. As part of my preparation to become an elementary educator, I enrolled in an education class at school. When I mentioned to my teacher that I wanted to find an internship in the education field, he immediately connected me with CIESC, and ultimately brought me here as an intern!
Now that you know a little bit about me and how I ended up here, here’s a look at what my first six weeks at CIESC have been like!
Jumping Right In
My first week at CIESC was enough to make me fall in love with my internship.
I kicked things off at the Pyramids, where I got my technology set up, toured the office, and met the people I’ll be working with throughout the year. Everyone was so welcoming, and I left my first day feeling incredibly grateful for this opportunity. The rest of the week was spent learning new platforms, completing my Working Genius assessment, and jumping into my first big project: reviewing an upcoming Work-Based Learning course for Indiana Online. Getting to provide feedback from a student’s perspective was so exciting for me! My first week was a whirlwind of new faces, new projects, and plenty of learning, and I couldn’t wait to see what was next!
Finding My Rhythm
After jumping right in during my first week, week two was all about finding my rhythm. I started getting more comfortable with the different platforms and projects I would be working with throughout the year and began taking on more of my own responsibilities. I worked on Canva graphics, continued reviewing the Indiana Online Work-Based Learning course, and set up my professional email signature and LinkedIn profile. One of my biggest takeaways from this week was learning the importance of communication. I learned that asking questions, communicating my capacity, and knowing when to tackle the “hard” tasks first are all part of being a successful professional.
Getting Into the Groove
By week three, I was starting to get into the groove of my internship! This week brought a little bit of everything, from creating Canva blog promotions and video editing for Keep Indiana Learning to continuing my review of the Indiana Online Work-Based Learning course. I also kept up with my weekly journal entries and updates as I continued getting more comfortable with the different projects and platforms I use each week. I’m really enjoying that no two weeks at CIESC look exactly the same, and I’m getting to try something new with almost every project!
A Taste of CIESC
Week four brought one of the coolest experiences of my internship so far! I joined the Childhood Nutrition Co-op meeting at Franklin Township, 
where I got to try and rate different foods while learning more about what goes into choosing the companies and products schools use for their lunches. It was so interesting to see firsthand just how many details school districts have to consider when it comes to something as everyday as school meals. The meeting also gave me a better look at how CIESC supports school districts behind the scenes and how cooperative programs work. Outside of the meeting, I continued working on my Canva blog promotions and the Indiana Online Work-Based Learning course.
Creating and Connecting at CIESC
Week five was all about creating and connecting! I spent time working with the Keep Indiana Learning team to create some fun TikTok videos with a Taylor Swift-inspired theme, which gave me a chance to get creative with both the videos and their designs. It was so much fun bouncing ideas around and seeing how one idea could turn into something even better! I also continued finishing up my review and feedback for the Indiana Online Work-Based Learning course in preparation for sharing my thoughts. At the end of the week, I got to attend the CIESC staff retreat, and it was SO much fun! I loved getting to meet people I hadn’t crossed paths with yet, share a little about myself and my experience so far, and spend time with the CIESC team. I’m continuing to realize just how much I love the people, creativity, and environment at CIESC!
Seeing the Bigger Picture
Week six gave me a chance to see some of the bigger-picture work happening at CIESC! I met over Zoom to share my
feedback on the Indiana Online Work-Based Learning course and talk through areas that could use some additional clarification or areas that I simply just loved! I also attended the annual meeting with Franklin Community Schools, where I got to see a really interesting data platform that brought the information to life in a way that was easy to understand. To wrap up the week, I started talking through the logistics of creating an internship handbook for future interns which is a project I’m really excited to start bringing to life
And This Is Just the Beginning!
Six weeks in, and I can already tell this is going to be a year full of new experiences, creative projects, and plenty of learning! From trying school lunches to creating Taylor Swift-inspired TikToks, reviewing an online course, and starting an internship handbook, I’ve gotten to see so many different sides of CIESC already. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to learn from such an amazing team and get a behind-the-scenes look at the work that supports schools and educators across Indiana. I can’t wait to see where the rest of this internship takes me. Stay tuned for the next edition of “From the Desk of the Intern!”