Higher Up

09/26/2025

We’re excited to share that Higher Up has been selected as a proud new grantee of the Community Foundation of New Jersey, through two impactful funds: the I. Trumbull Wood Estate Fund and the Mercer County Community Fund. These funds support organizations creating lasting change in our local communities —and we’re honored to be among them.

At Higher Up, we create opportunity and provide support for local students to reach their highest potential and purposefully shape their dreams through meaningful summer job and internship placements. Thank you to CFNJ for believing in our mission and
investing in our local youth.

We are so grateful for this recognition and partnership! If you’d like to learn more about CFNJ’s work and the programs they support, you can explore it here: https://cfnj.org/.

The Community Foundation of New Jersey is an alliance of families, businesses and foundations that work together to create lasting differences in people's lives and communities.

08/20/2025

Congratulations Krrish!

Say hello to Krrish, who interned at Kuehne+Nagel this summer, where he used his problem-solving and spreadsheet skills to help the global logistics company speed up production and improve efficiency in the transportation process. One surprise for Krrish was seeing how many stops and checkpoints products go through before they arrive at a customer’s doorstep. “It’s an intricate process that requires a lot of behind-the-scenes coordination,” he said. Now a junior at Penn State majoring in accounting, Krrish was grateful for the opportunity to gain real-world business experience in a job so closely related to his future goal of pursuing a career in supply chain management.

08/18/2025

Congratulations Myra!

Higher Up is thrilled to have Myra as our summer intern, helping to get the word out about the good work we do to match students with paid summer internships and jobs. Myra is a rising senior at Hightstown High School, where she holds leadership roles for several clubs, including DECA and the Community Service Club. She is interested in business and data analytics and is also a wiz at social media! Myra’s day-to-day at Higher Up involves capturing video and photography and editing the assets for use on social media, our website, and at events. She’s also learning how much work it takes to run a nonprofit and has started diving into the data to understand the business better. Myra’s enthusiasm, positive attitude, and willingness to help will take her far in this world!

08/16/2025

Congratulations, Catalina!

Catalina, a rising senior at Hightstown High School, is a summer intern with the nonprofit law firm Central Jersey Legal Services, where she is helping clients facing eviction and housing instability. The experience has opened her eyes to what it’s like in a real courtroom and what a professional job environment is like. She’s also learned that she is a very efficient worker, quickly handling the tasks she’s assigned like a pro. From updating and verifying an extensive database of local support agencies to crafting outreach materials, researching property ownership, and helping attorneys identify landlords responsible for ongoing housing issues, Catalina is on the case. She’s considering a career in law, and we can’t wait to see where she ends up!

08/07/2025

Congratulations Michael!

Meet Michael, a Higher Up intern who looks to his father as a role model who brings creativity and fun to his work. Michael is good at math and sports stats, which helps him succeed as an accounting major at Penn State. This summer, he’s interning at School Business Office and gaining business administration experience that supports his goal of one day working for a sports franchise as an agent, lawyer, or accountant. His workday includes helping to send and receive invoices and preparing for audits. Michael is always looking to grow and challenge himself and hopes to find fulfillment, happiness, and balance in his future pursuits. Helping to balance the books for school clients during his internship is a great start!

08/06/2025

Congratulations Elani!

Elani is bringing her strong communication skills to her job as a marketing and PR intern at Plainsboro Preserve, where she is known for coming up with creative ideas quickly, especially for social media posts. She is gaining real-world experience making brochures and flyers, creating social media posts, and recording videos at events. “I’ve gotten to go on actual trails to film events, which feels more like an adventure than work,” she says. She also helps design newsletters and commercials to promote the Preserve and its activities. All of that work benefits from Elani’s professionalism and attention to detail, and is helping her decide if she wants to pursue marketing as a future career. Her biggest surprise so far? “I was surprised by how big the Plainsboro Preserve is.”

08/04/2025

Congratulations Sarah!

Sarah is interning at Type Marketing this summer, where she is exploring the creative and strategic side of branding and marketing. In her position, she collaborates with the team on graphic posts, T-shirt designs, and newsletters for clients. The rising senior has already been doing graphic design, photography, layouts, and more on the yearbook staff at both Hightstown High School and Mercer County Technical School, and at HHS, she leads the Marketing Committee for the Robotics Club. Sarah is excited to gain more hands-on marketing and advertising skills at TypeMarketing, including how AI can help with brainstorming and initial output. So far, she thinks AI results still need a human touch to be usable, and she is happy to contribute her skills to that task! Way to go, Sarah!

08/01/2025

Congratulations Jhailyn!

Meet Jhailyn, a Hightstown High School senior and Mercer County Technical School student studying the allied health services. Known for her positivity and strong sense of purpose, Jhailyn is bringing her calm, patient presence and organizational skills into the workplace as an intern for Monroe Foot & Ankle Care this summer. Her work so far includes hands-on experience in patient intake, appointment management, insurance verification, and she has even had the opportunity to observe doctors practice a surgical procedure on a real foot. She’s especially passionate about helping others and is considering a career as an orthopedic nurse or veterinarian. Those caring instincts go way back. Jhailyn saved her dog from choking on a bone when she was only 6-years old and later helped nurse an injured dog back to health so that it could walk again!

07/31/2025

Congratulations Russell!

Meet Russell, a senior at Hightstown High School who is also learning automotive mechanics technology at Mercer County Technical Schools. His summer internship at LSC Mechanical is a great way to apply the knowledge he’s learning in school. He was nervous about being such a beginner at his new job, but everyone has been so nice and helpful that he quickly felt at ease. Russell is fascinated by how things work and loves the hands-on experience. He’s learning how to fix cars and acquiring life skills, such as how to handle money at the auto repair shop and manage his own finances so he can save for his own car someday. Russell is considering an engineering path at community college in the future and hopes to continue working at LSC Mechanical beyond his internship. His work ethic and positive attitude make him a perfect match for a mechanical and technical workplace. We’re so excited to see what he accomplishes!

07/30/2025

Congratulations Aniala!

This summer, Aniala is putting her warm, nurturing personality to great use interning at Better Beginnings Child Development Center! A junior at Hightstown High School, she has a natural gift for connecting with children and dreams of becoming a preschool teacher or fashion designer someday. “I like to go for walks, cook, and I’m a very social person,” she says — qualities that make her a wonderful mentor and role model at Better Beginnings. So far, she’s enjoyed playing with the kids, who mostly speak Spanish, and helping them learn about colors, animals, and more! The internship is helping Aniala learn how to foster positive experiences for children through play and educational activities and giving her a better idea of what a career as a teacher might be like.

07/29/2025

Building tomorrow’s leaders starts here!

At the Student‑Partner Social Hour, local professionals connected with students to share insights, experiences, and encouragement. These moments help bridge the gap between early ambition and long-term career growth, laying the foundation for future leaders.

07/28/2025

Congratulations Brendan!

Congratulations to Brendan, a solid performer in the Higher Up program, interning at Plainsboro Preserve! A former Mercer County Community College student and now a senior at Rutgers University majoring in communication, he’s ready to tackle new challenges, learn on the job, and build his skills. Brendan is very athletic and loves sports. His athleticism is a big asset on the Preserve, where he helps cut down trees, clear trails, and move supplies from one place to another. He recently helped build a kayak rack that is now used to store boats by the river and helped a park ranger move a 1000-pound log out of a stream. 💪 Brenden is considering a skilled trade career after college, but for now, he really enjoys the physical work at Plainsboro Preserve and his other job with FedEx. His hard work and positive energy make him a great addition to any team.