Madison Rae Cabagbag | Social Media Editor
May 26, 2026
An overwhelming critique of the modern school system stems from a lack of preparation for the career world. The declining job market, unpredictability of AI, and inflating competitiveness has pushed high school in particular to become a time where building a resume becomes increasingly important. Students must learn to navigate the professional world, and it is no easy task to tackle at a young age.
Last semester, in San Clemente High School’s Futures Program, the business and entrepreneurship field was explored. Upon completion of the EPIC student marketing challenge, all 13 participants were offered an internship opportunity from the company partner PoolRx. The 9 students who accepted the offer are now embarking on very exciting endeavors.
On Tuesday, May 5, the company invited its students and parents to the kick off session. They were there to discuss the next objective– national TV.
Designing Spaces is an award-winning home design television series that airs on the LifeTime network. It debuted in 2005 and has been running for over two decades. Each episode, they incorporate a unique branded entertainment model, featuring a four minute and 30-second segment where a specific company can market their product or service.
On June 12th’s episode, that company will be PoolRx.
But rather than following the standard format past campaigns model, PoolRx has handed complete creative control to their student intern team. The key objectives of this advertisement will not only be to promote the product, but also to showcase the company’s strong community values, exhibited through their rugby sponsorships and student opportunities. Within a tight timeline of roughly 4 weeks, these 15 and 16-year-olds will develop storyboards, theming, costuming, and content ideas. All these materials will be spruced up and prepared for June 7th, where the team will fly out to Florida to get the project filmed.
“My immediate thoughts is that it’s an amazing opportunity and I feel honored to be in it… I’ll build communication skills [and learn] how to be a leader and a team player,” commented student intern Maddox Pete, who is only a freshman.
The team was tasked to figure out everything. They schedule their own hours, assign each other tasks, and work with PoolRx associates to make their visions happen. Along the way, they receive mentorship from PoolRx CEO Andreea Trufasu, and CRO Ben Wright, who guide through checkpoint meetings with feedback and important professional development.
Amidst planning, the intern team has also revived the company’s social media presence, posting reels generating upwards of 11,000 views on instagram within the last week. This content ranges from trends like passing the phone and the poison game to vlogging and rugby edits.
Settings like this provide undeniably valuable experience for students. They tackle a real world project with real world problems, all while in the dead center of finals season. And, when their work blooms into a nationally syndicated final product, it will be interesting to see what their efforts have become. The career world can be a scary place, but all it takes to learn is to start.
“I’m super excited,” said sophomore intern Kaia Manco-Shaw. “I’m happy to put myself out there– It’s important to put yourself out there.”
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