By Olivia Torres, SKY Schools Intern, Albertus Mangna
My internship with SKY Schools transformed how I think about mental health work. I entered this experience believing that trauma care primarily happens in clinical settings through traditional therapy. While I still plan to pursue trauma-informed clinical work, SKY Schools showed me that healing and prevention can begin much earlier—inside classrooms, through simple, evidence-based practices that help students manage stress and emotions before challenges escalate.
SKY Schools supports K–12 students using breathing techniques, mindfulness, and social-emotional learning (SEL) to promote emotional regulation, resilience, and focus. The program takes a whole-child approach, integrating emotional well-being alongside academics and creating classroom environments where students feel safe, supported, and empowered.
“This internship showed me that trauma-informed care doesn’t only happen in therapy rooms—it can happen every day in classrooms.”
During my internship, I completed Sudarshan Kriya and Sahaj meditation trainings, participated in volunteer leadership development, supported research and grant writing, and observed SKY programming in schools. Experiencing the practices myself was especially impactful. I noticed a meaningful reduction in my own anxiety, helping me understand why teaching these skills early can be so powerful for students.
“I experienced firsthand how simple breathing practices can create calm, clarity, and emotional steadiness.”
Visiting schools brought the pedagogy to life. I saw how lessons adapt across grade levels—playful and creative in elementary classrooms, interactive and choice-based for older students—while remaining grounded in trauma-informed principles like predictability, emotional safety, and student agency.
“SKY Schools showed me that prevention and healing can start long before a crisis—and that schools can be powerful places for that work.”
This internship expanded my career vision. I still want to work with people who have experienced trauma, but I now see the value of combining clinical skills with holistic, preventive approaches in schools and communities. SKY Schools helped me understand that effective mental health support blends science, creativity, and compassion.
For students interested in mental health, education, social work, or public health, a SKY Schools internship offers more than experience—it offers perspective, purpose, and the opportunity to support the whole child.
