How I Bagged a Paid Internship at 17 + Got an Unstoppable Head Start on Life (And How You Can Too)
High school was a blur of pop quizzes, prom dates, and—wait for it—a PAID internship.
At 17, while most of my friends were juggling between study groups and soccer practice, I was diving into the professional world.
And nope, it wasn’t because of a family connection.
Here’s exactly how I landed a paid internship at 17 that gave me an unfair advantage in life, and how you can too.
The Myth of “I Knew Someone”
First off, let’s burst that bubble.
Yes, I got my internship through someone I knew. But, plot twist, I didn’t know them until I actively decided to make my OWN connections…
So, how did I go from stranger to intern?
I Made Connections in High School: No, Not Just at Prom👊
My first internship was with the prestigious Biltmore Estate -- everyone wanted this internship.
To get my foot in the door, I had to stand out among hundreds of applicants, and most were a LOT older than me.
The difference with me? I knew someone on the inside.
You might think high school is all about algebra problems and cafeteria politics, but it’s also a goldmine for networking.
Those parent-teacher meets? Gold. School events with guest speakers? Double gold. I made it my mission to chat, connect, and understand the world beyond school.
Here was my rule of connection.
Every time I'm at an event with adults, I would make a point to find 1 adult to speak with (no other students were doing this, so I stood out!).
Here are the questions I'd ask:
What do you enjoy most about your career?
Why do you do what you do?
Do you mind if we exchange emails and LinkedIn profiles? I'd love to stay in touch and keep learning from you if you're open to it.
THEN I'd get home, send them a quick follow-up email that said something like:
Dear Mr/Mrs. ____,
I'm so glad we got to connect today! Thank you for sharing about your career -- I'm very intrigued by your work and would love to learn more as I'm figuring out my own career. If I reach out with a few questions in the future, would you mind?
Either way, I'm grateful to be a part of your network. Thanks again!
-Hannah
I didn't realize it until later, but many professionals would tell me I was the ONLY high school student who had ever taken the time to reach out proactively. They were impressed.
And guess what?
One of these connections led me to my first internship.
I Got Started on LinkedIn... Early 😎
Before the world of endorsements and work anniversaries, I was a 17-year-old trying to navigate LinkedIn. I mean, I barely managed my Insta stories back then!
But here’s the thing, LinkedIn was (and still is) a game-changer. It’s where I built connections, not just added them. It’s where my network expanded from school to corporate.
I started my LinkedIn profile early. Then every professional I spoke with, I asked to connect with me...
Trust me, you do this and people will take notice.
I Leveraged My Impact Portfolio (IP) 🙌
Alright, so here's the plot twist. Besides impressing leaders with my LinkedIn profile, I impressed them with something even cooler: my Impact Portfolio (IP).
Think of it as a swanky showcase of all the awesome stuff I had done to IMPACT real businesses for FREE prior to my internship.
So, What’s an IP?
An Impact Portfolio is like your skills on steroids.
It’s about mastering a d’Skill (mine was research, shoutout to all those school projects) and then using that skill to make a real difference in a real business. I worked with a budding curriculum business, helping them with, you guessed it, research.
And guess who was super impressed? Yep, them.
Eventually, here's how the pieces came together for me to land my first, paid internship at 17.
🙌 I met a parent at a parent networking event who worked at Biltmore Estate. 2 years PRIOR to landing the internship.
🙌 We stayed in touch over email and LinkedIn. When an internship arose at Biltmore, guess who she reached out to when her boss asked "do you know a super go-get-her young person"?
ME.
🙌 I used my Impact Portfolio to impress the boss. I was immediately put to the top of the stack.
🙌The rest is history.
Want to Craft Your Own Success Story?
Trust me, if a 17-year-old me could do it, so can you.
I've put together an ultimate guide on crafting your own IP, mastering d’Skills, and making businesses sit up and take notice. Ready to redefine your high school story?
Download the Ultimate Guide below 👇👇