Top 5 Sweetest Moments From A Milton Hershey School One Hershey Intern

Date: August 7, 2026

For those unfamiliar with Milton Hershey School (MHS), it is a private, tuition-free school serving students in need from Pre-K through 12th grade. In addition to offering a top-tier education, housing and healthcare, the school provides students, including myself, with life-changing opportunities and experiences.

A cornerstone of the MHS experience is the Career and Technical Education (CTE) program. Through this program, high school students in grades 9-12 select one of 10 distinct career program areas to focus on and complete a specialized internship designed to prepare them for future employment. The business program area (my career focus) specifically offers many different pathways, including retail operations, marketing and media communications.

This summer, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts (HE&R) welcomed 17 MHS students to immerse themselves in professions of interest as One Hershey Summer Interns. During the program, we had the opportunity to connect with professionals in various departments across the destination, including construction, security, real estate, culinary, communications, legal, marketing, guest experience and information technology. These internships with HE&R provide students with invaluable, hands-on opportunities to become familiar with the work requirements of their desired career paths.

As a Milton Hershey School Student and One Hershey Intern in the communications department, I have had the opportunity to become fully engrossed in everything The Sweetest Place On Earth has to offer. Here are my top five sweetest moments from my summer adventure.

Content Creation

One of my favorite things I did during my internship was creating various forms of media content for all of the different HE&R brands. Some of my most memorable content to capture was at Hershey Social Restaurant + Bar. In addition to my internship, I am a part-time employee there, so being able to promote the brand was a fun change of pace. Having creative liberties to capture and write content was extremely rewarding and made me feel as if I could give back to the town I call home. In doing this, I was also able to develop skills in social media content development, media outreach and blog post writing - all these are great skills I can use as I look to further my education and begin applying for universities later this year.

Participating in Special Events

There was no shortage of special events this summer in Hershey, and I was lucky to take part in some of them. On July 7, 2026, the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 came chugging through the tracks of Hershey. Being on site to capture content for such a historic event was truly memorable, and I’m glad I was there to help ‘conduct’ it.

Just two days later, on July 9, 2026, Hersheypark hosted more than 100 mascots for its inaugural All-American Mascot Day. I shadowed the Communications team as they helped to coordinate parade logistics, escort local media and capture content. In fact, I presented the team with a TikTok trend idea that I was able to execute that day. It was posted on The Official Hersheypark TikTok and garnered over 13,000 views. Getting to shoot content and be with media for this event reiterated my passion for my career goals and reminded me just how much I love the hospitality and communications industry.

Connection Opportunities and Networking Breakfast

In the fourth week of our internship, HE&R hosted a networking breakfast at Hershey Social Restaurant + Bar in collaboration with The Hershey Company. At this breakfast, we had the opportunity to connect with leadership from both companies. We learned more about how they work together as separate entities to further the legacy of their joint founder, while investing in Milton Hershey School Students and our futures. Click here to learn more about our history and partnership.

Collaborating With Professional Interns

Being an MHS One Hershey Intern, I got to work closely and share space with the other six MHS Interns in The Hershey Press Building. We also had the privilege of working alongside nine college interns, two of whom were MHS alums, through the Professional Internship Program. Together, we collaborated on a campaign centered on the upcoming 125th birthday of Hersheypark, which we presented to the company's upper leadership. I had the pleasure of starting the presentation and speaking about our recommended concept for an all-new tilt coaster located inside Hershey’s Chocolatetown. While I was extremely happy with how the project turned out, I was even happier with the true connection we had and the friendships we made with each other.

Unique Out of The Classroom Experiences

Through this internship, I experienced a unique way of learning through real-world on-the-job projects. At any normal high school, this experience might never have happened, but because of the gift of our mutual founder, Milton S. Hershey, I can receive an education unlike any other right here in The Sweetest Place On Earth. Despite being sad that my time here this summer is ending, I am proud of what I have taken away and how much this will improve my skills for the future. I am eternally grateful for all of the support from my mentors, supervisors, teachers and my school for this opportunity, and I cannot wait to see what is next.