Summer Work Experience Program

On June 4, SMUHSD students and recent graduates attended a one-day employment preparation boot camp to learn workplace readiness skills, participate in job exploration, and advance their self-advocacy skills, as part of the 2025 Summer Work Experience Can Work Program.

During the boot camp, students heard from SMUHSD Vocational Specialists / Job Coaches Matthew Park and Cammy Leung; Transition Specialist Eli Poblitz; and NovaWorks Young Adult Program Career Advisors Abe Menor and Athena Gazay. School Counseling Intern Nicole Ho was also on hand to offer support. 

The summer program, in its fifth year, is a partnership between the San Mateo Union High School District’s Transition Programs, the California Department of Rehabilitation and NOVAworks Young Adult Program. 

This Summer the program will be supporting 17 SMUHSD graduates and two rising 12th graders - students who have previously received special education services from SMUHSD. The funding from the program is provided by the Federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act that the Department of Rehabilitation manages.   

Participants will be matched to SMUHSD employer partners along the peninsula for a work-based learning opportunity for the summer that will run June-August. Students will have the opportunity to work full-time and earn $17.95 per hour. 

Thank you to the following employers for partnering with us this Summer to give our students and graduates an opportunity to get meaningful work experience that will set them up for success as they choose their career paths: 

• Mountain Mike’s Pizza (San Mateo and Millbrae)
• Orchard Supply Hardware (Millbrae)
• Ace Hardware (San Mateo)
• Walgreens (San Mateo, Burlingame, Millbrae)
• Smart & Final
• San Mateo Medical Center
• New England Lobster Market (Burlingame)
• Millbrae Library
• San Mateo Library
• Best Western Hotel (San Mateo)
• La Quinta Inn
• One Love Daycare
• B Street Boxing 
• UFC Gym
• Old Navy (San Mateo)
• Sonrisas Dental
• United State Geological Survey (USGS)
• SMUHSD Transportation Department

For more information about modeling this program in your School District or learning about being an employer with this program in the Summer of 2026, contact Matthew Park at mpark@smuhsd.org or Eli Poblitz at epoblitz@smuhsd.org.