A Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School senior is designing her future, with skills learned at Capital Region BOCES.
Emily Burdikoff recently completed a work-based learning opportunity at Livingston Energy Group working in the firm’s marketing office where she built a professional portfolio filled with projects applying the skills she learned in the BOCES Career and Technical School Digital Media Design program.
“It was a great experience. I would rate it a 4.5 out of 5,” Burdikoff said recently.
Burdikoff started her work-based learning experience with the Schenectady-based green energy company during the 2021-22 school year and completed in November.
“I really enjoyed getting to develop relationships with other people and learning what office life is like and how to use office etiquette,” she said.
Upon graduation in June, the teenager plans to attend the graphic design and photography programs at Hudson Valley Community College before transferring onto a four-year college.
Burdikoff said that she applied for the internship in the hopes of gaining experience that will pay off in the future.
“Initially, I thought if nothing else I will have created a resume, put together a portfolio and gone through the process. At least I would have gained that experience. I am so happy to have gotten the internship, though,” she said. “I really wanted to have the experience and know what the workplace is like before I graduate. This has been great.”
“Collaborating with Capital Region BOCES to offer students opportunities to intern throughout our business is a natural fit”
Capital Region BOCES works extensively with more than 300 businesses and institutions to train students and prepare them for careers that exist now and those that will exist in the future. This training includes work-based learning opportunities like Burdikoff’s internship at the Livingston Energy Group.
Kate Kruk, director of community engagement at Livingston Energy, praised Burdikoff and BOCES.
“During her time with us, she helped to plan, execute, and document the largest Drive Electric Week event in the nation. She coordinated with event staff to create maps, flyers, and other necessary collateral that were utilized during the campaign. Our team enjoyed her fresh perspective and appreciated her insights,” Kruk said.
The community engagement executive added that partnering with BOCES to develop the workforce of tomorrow makes sense.
“Collaborating with Capital Region BOCES to offer students opportunities to intern throughout our business is a natural fit,” she said. “The Livingston team values hands-on learning and the ability to be agile and adaptable to stay ahead. BOCES students bring that spirit and drive to our team, and we look forward to providing more experiences for them as our company grows.”
Learn About Our Career & Technical Education Programs
The Digital Media Design program is one of nearly 40 programs offered for high school students. Learn about the many courses available to through our Career & Technical Education Center.