With a call for businesses and nonprofits to double down on recruitment efforts in this monumental year, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings yesterday kicked off the 10th year of the Dallas Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program with an aggressive campaign to increase the number of businesses providing eight-week paid internships to Dallas public and charter high school students this summer.
“I’m extremely proud that we’ve reached the 10-year milestone and have provided invaluable, life-changing internships to nearly 2,000 Dallas public high school students, many of whom will be the first in their families to go on and attend college,” said Mayor Rawlings. “As we enter our second decade, it’s time to step it up so that more students can benefit from these immersive experiences that help them make the connection between a college degree and a great career.”
Held at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the program featured remarks by Robert Kaplan, president of the Federal Reserve Bank, along with former Mayor Tom Leppert, who founded the Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program in 2008, and Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa, who has been a proponent of the program since its launch. Also participating were Mike Peterson of AT&T, Gillian Breidenbach of Bank of America, Jay Clingman of Chase, Mark Okada of Highland Capital Management, and Marcia Page of Education is Freedom.
The four interns who emceed the program and interviewed the special guests were Karen Devora of Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School who interned at Jacobs, an engineering firm (she wants to be an engineer or attorney); Bruno Garcia of Woodrow Wilson High School, who interned at UT Southwestern Medical Center (he plans to attend medical school); Keja Johnson of Lincoln High School, who interned two summers at KERA and Visiting Nurses Association (she wants to pursue a career in broadcasting); and Isaiah Turner of the School for the Talented and Gifted at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, who interned at the Dallas Zoo (he wants to be a vet or marine biologist).
Since its inception in 2008, 1,783 Dallas ISD and public charter high school students have participated in the program. The 2016 edition of the program was a record-breaking year – nearly 2,000 Dallas public high school students applied for internships, 950 qualified for the Job Fair, and a record-breaking 385 students were hired by 240 businesses and nonprofits. However, more than 550 students did not land an internship, which is why more businesses and nonprofits are needed to step up. NOTE: Student applications for 2017 have closed; applications for 2018 will open in October at mayorsinterns.org.
In his call to action, Mayor Rawlings asked businesses to increase the number of interns at their workplace and to recruit vendors, customers, clients and neighboring businesses. And if a company cannot sponsor an intern at their business, he said they can underwrite an intern to work at a local nonprofit agency or be a program sponsor. He also made a plea to small businesses – who illustrate the spirit of entrepreneurship – to join the effort in hiring a teen. To sign up, go to mayorsinterns.org by March 22.
The eight-week internships will begin June 12 and conclude August 4. The Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program celebratory luncheon is July 27 at the Omni Hotel Dallas.
Mayor Rawlings shared that many organizations, such as the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, were so impressed with their interns that they’ve hired them as regular employees who work year round, come back during holidays or even while in college.
Entering its 10th year, the Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program introduces high school students to careers and employment opportunities in industries and companies where they have expressed interest. Modeled after the prestigious White House Fellows Program, the Intern Fellows Program prepares motivated teens to become the leaders of tomorrow.
The students – rising juniors and seniors from Dallas ISD and public charter high schools – get exposure to a variety of fields, including technology, healthcare, law, finance and accounting, education, the nonprofit sector, advertising/marketing/public relations, engineering, manufacturing and hospitality, and many more. In 2016, the interns shadowed surgeons and architects, explored the worlds of commercial real-estate and finance, taught inner-city kids to golf, and went behind the scenes at museums, hotels, government agencies and entertainment venues. One teen even returned as an intern to the shelter that housed her mother and siblings when she was a child.
AT&T is the Founding Sponsor and Bank of America is the Presenting Sponsor of the 2017 Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program. For the past five years, Bank of America has underwritten 40 internships at nonprofits and government agencies as part of their $100,000 sponsorship.
Highland Capital Management is the sponsor of the Job Fair set for April 7 at the Hyatt Regency Dallas, where students will be interviewed by human resource professionals and receive formal job offers. JPMorgan Chase is the Lead Intern Sponsor, and TurningPoint Foundation is the Transportation Sponsor. Alliance Data is the Intern Fellows Training Sponsor, to provide the interns with three days of intense training – including Microsoft Office and leadership training – before their summer positions begin. As the Community Service Sponsor, Tenet Healthcare will underwrite a service day at the North Texas Food Bank on July 15.
Other program sponsors include Atmos Energy, Dallas ISD, Dallas Business Journal, DallasHR, Kroger, Lisa K. Simmons, Texas Instruments and The Real Estate Council.
The Mayor’s Intern Fellow’s Program is facilitated by Dallas nonprofit Education is Freedom (EIF), a comprehensive college-planning program offering a dedicated team of school-based experts who offer college-access programming in numerous Dallas ISD high schools.
Employers are asked to provide at least one eight-week summer internship for a student fellow for 20 to 40 hours weekly, pay the interns the recommended minimum rate of $9 per hour, and pay a program fee of $500 per intern, which covers the intern’s participation in a Work-Readiness Workshop, the Job Fair, Community Service Day, three days of Leadership Development Workshops and a two-week bus pass.
Businesses also are asked to provide students an opportunity for job shadowing of executives and to observe company operations. Probably one of the most important aspects is to set up one-on-one conversations with managers and executives regarding college and career prospects and to share information about the company’s industry and variety of career options.
The program is open to Dallas public or charter high school juniors and seniors who are eligible to work in the U.S. during summer 2017. Students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA, a solid attendance record, and a recommendation from campus leadership. They must also participate in the required training sessions prior to their internships. NOTE: Student applications for 2017 have closed; applications for 2018 will open in October at mayorsinterns.org.
To learn more or register online, go to mayorsinterns.org or call 214-871-0783.
