Indianapolis attorney Nathan Baker, who specializes in employment law, said he advises both for-profit and not-for-profit companies to pay their interns at least minimum wage unless the company can assure the internship program meets the six-step test.

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis follows the Department of Labor regulations, according to Karla McLaughlin, the museum’s intern program manager. The museum provides each intern with a mentor, a series of professional development training sessions and hands-on experience in a field that relates to their chosen career path. More than 250 students applied, and 34 were chosen to work at the museum this summer.

Pre-medicine and nursing students have come to the museum for experience working with kids. Kristina Johnson, 35, was an intern at the museum for a year, beginning last summer, while studying for her master’s degree in museum studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. She researched accessibility concerns for the visually and hearing disabled.

This summer, one intern who wants to be a toy designer is creating a toy table and teaching his co-workers how to use the latest industry software.

Another intern, Martin Weiss, Indianapolis, isn’t sure what he wants to do when he graduates but said working with the collections department at The Children’s Museum this summer will give him valuable experience. Weiss spends his 40 hours a week researching open collections in museums but also learns how to work in a professional setting, handle meetings and work with a team. In the fall, Weiss, 19, will be a sophomore history and business major at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“I definitely have more responsibility than I thought I would,” Weiss said, “and that has been great.”

For Menendez, her work at the zoo matches her chosen career path.

Menendez’s university program requires an internship. Many students also pay university tuition for the credit hours they earn during their unpaid internships. Menendez’s full-tuition scholarship covers the cost of the credits.

But she needs to earn money now so she can work less during the school year. Menendez studies biology with a concentration in zoology at Ball State University and will graduate in 2014. She will be the first in her family to graduate from college.

Menendez said she knew from a young age that she wanted to work with animals. Last spring, she interned in the oceans water quality lab, testing water at the zoo. That internship helped her land the competitive animal care internship, working with the zoo’s marine mammals, the Amur tiger, black bear, muntjac deer and red panda this summer.

She spends much of her time cleaning animal cages and holding areas. She also is getting a minor in scuba diving and uses that skill to clean polar bear, dolphin, walrus and other marine mammal tanks. By the end of the summer, she hopes to train the animals with already learned behaviors.

But before she can do that, Menendez needs to complete a series of lessons — one way the zoo provides an educational experience. Menendez uses a syllabus-like checklist and has to complete tasks before she can move on to the next lesson.

When she began the internship in late May, Menendez learned the names and history of the animals she works with each day. She’s now working on narrating the exhibits to zoo visitors. Later, she will move on to tossing fish into dolphins’ mouths.

Gladys Morales, Menendez’s mother, is proud of her daughter’s work ethic, but she wishes her daughter didn’t need to work so much. Morales struggled at times financially as a single parent and raised Menendez to be independent. But now, even though they live together, Morales has to sit in the section of the IHOP where Menendez is working in order to see her.

“Everything in life has their sacrifices,” Morales said. “This is just a little bump in the road.”

Menendez typically works six days a week among her three jobs and tries to have one day off each week. Lately, she has worked from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. and tried to squeeze in late-night workouts at Anytime Fitness. On average, she works 16 hours a day, so when she’s not working, she struggles to stay awake.

“I’m a workaholic,” Menendez said.

She hopes her experience will put her ahead in a competi-tive job market. In a specialized market such as zoos and aquariums, internships working with animals are competitive and job opportunities are in short supply. Kristin Kraemer, volunteer services coordinator at the zoo, said there are about 50 job openings in zoos nationwide each year.

“I’m just hoping,” Menendez said, “that doing internships and working as much as possible will make me more marketable.”