Student Spotlight: Terza and Gabriela Krskova

Each year, students at NewGate International Montessori Academy spend a week interning at local businesses of their choice. The program encourages students to explore a profession they enjoy.

NewGate students Terza and Gabriela Krskova, of Pilsen, Czech Republic, are living abroad in Sarasota for a year. They share what they’ve learned while interning. 

Terza, 13
Eighth-grader Terza expected to be eating hamburgers every day when she moved in August to Sarasota. Instead, the 13-year-old has been working with children at Acro Fit Gymnastics.

Terza says she has never been to a school like NewGate and enjoys the internship program.

“It’s helpful for us,” she says. “In the Czech Republic, we have to choose what we want to do early — we cannot try and see if we like it first.”

When she returns to Pilsen after the school year, Terza says she’ll take back the impact of praise and encouragement.

“Everyone smiles and says, ‘good job!’” she says. “You don’t see this back home.”

Gabriela, 16
Gabriela says after a few days interning at Photo Experience, she has learned running a business is hard work.

“It helped me see that photography would be better as a hobby for me,” she says. Gabriela does not know what she wants to be when she is older, but the internship helps.

She says her favorite part of the internship was the day a client brought her baby in to be photographed.
“It was really cute,” says Gabriela.

Gabriela says she’s enjoying her time in Sarasota and likes how the internship allows her to experience a new culture.

“I’ve learned it’s important to be nice to people,” she says, “to always be smiling.”

Contact Harriet Sokmensuer at [email protected]