Nejjar’s internship did exactly what it was designed to do—expose her to people different than she is and teach her about power dynamics along the way.

This is unusual? It might just be a Dutch / European thing, but it's common here for youth above 16 to have a small, part-time job alongside their education. Around 60-70% of college students have a bijbaan, 'side job', to give you some money to spend while studying. Usually something low-wage, like cashier, filling shelves in supermarkets, working in restaurants or offices. I've had two summer jobs and I'm on my third side-job now in college. Most parents expect their children to work part time, instead of dumping money on them all the time. It's less common with richer kids, for sure, but they are often enough pushed by their parents, who will make them to get a job by not giving them money for a while.

It's great, it teaches work ethic, handling money and dealing with responsibilities. And it exposes you to a much larger range of people. I'm currently working as a tutor for struggling high school teachers, and it's really great to help students from all levels of education.