DALLAS – Finding a job has been tough for anyone this year. For high school students seeking summer jobs, even entry-level positions are few and hard to find.
But thanks to the Mayor’s Intern Fellows program, 85 Dallas ISD students worked 40-hour weeks in coveted positions, soaking up real-world knowledge and eye-opening experiences at Dallas’ top corporations, non-profits, city departments and legal firms.
Depending on their internships, the students did everything from shadowing Fortune 500 executives, and working in architectural firms, to walking construction sites and visiting late-night crime scenes with Dallas Police detectives. Students evaluated recipes at a national restaurant corporation, experienced the launch of ad and PR campaigns, walked the halls of hospitals, and took an inside peek at a national food company.
Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and lead partner AT&T (NYSE:T) launched the program in 2008 in conjunction with Education Is Freedom (EIF), a non-profit organization working to reduce the high school dropout rate; eliminate the social, academic and financial barriers to higher education; and promote equality of opportunity in college attendance.
The Mayor’s Intern Fellows is an eight-week paid internship program that has given qualified students a realistic view of the working world, allowing them to utilize their potential and visualize their future. Students have seen first-hand where a quality education can lead and the paths they’ll need to follow to get there.
The internships ended Fri., Aug. 7. To celebrate, the mayor and the participating companies honored the students and celebrated their accomplishments at a luncheon at the Belo Mansion.
“The Mayor’s Intern Fellows program is much more than just a summer job,” said Mayor Leppert. “It gives Dallas ISD students invaluable exposure and immersion into a professional workplace environment. It helps students make the connection between a good education and a great career, a critical point so that teenagers understand the long-range importance of good grades, attendance, perseverance and graduating.”
EIF Dallas students from W.H. Adamson High School, James Madison High School, North Dallas High School and David W. Carter High School participated (see list below of all students). Fifteen students returned as second-year interns. Both students and companies gave the program an enthusiastic “thumbs up.”
"AT&T is proud to be a leading supporter of the Mayor's internship program,” said Bill Blase, senior executive vice president of human resources at AT&T. “The program – which gives Dallas-area students first-hand exposure to the workplace – is a natural complement to our corporate commitment to education. Our nationwide $10 million AT&T Aspire program supports efforts focused on decreasing the high school drop out rate, and our employees are devoting some 400,000 hours to provide job shadowing opportunities to 100,000 students."
In addition to AT&T, over 40 other companies actively supported the program, including JP Morgan Chase, Brinker International, Austin Industries, Tenet Healthcare, Dean Foods, Alon USA, Central Dallas Ministries, Parkland Hospital and many others (see attached list of participating companies and organizations).
“This was Tenet’s first year to participate in the Mayor’s Intern Fellows program and work with Education is Freedom,” said Trevor Fetter, CEO of Tenet Healthcare. “We had the pleasure of hosting three students, and it is our hope that their experience at Tenet and exposure to the business of healthcare provided them with new ideas and career opportunities to consider. Working with the interns reminded us of the potential every student holds inside – and we look forward to participating again next year.”
Dr. Marcus Martin, president and CEO of Education Is Freedom, attributes the program’s success to advance preparation and the ongoing guidance given to the students and the employers. Students participated in several training programs focusing on communication, protocol, workplace attire, expectations, etc. EIF Dallas staff also stayed in close contact with the students and employers throughout the summer to assess the internship fit and address any concerns.
“We’ve been working with our EIF students since their freshman year to develop the skills, discipline, demeanor and mindset so they can succeed in college and ultimately in the work force, but this experience crystallizes the need for them to get a good education,” said Dr. Marcus Martin, president and CEO of Education is Freedom. “Our students now have concrete aspirations and a new confidence knowing that, with hard work and perseverance, there is a place for them in the business world.”
The students made a minimum of $9 per hour – wages that are often higher than what their parents earn. Most students saved their earnings to help cover costly senior fees, such as graduation announcements, gowns and such and for first-year college expenses. Others assisted with current family financial needs.
Throughout the summer, the students outlined progress of their internship with a written or multimedia project. They included analysis of their jobs, the company and industry, and expressed how the experience shaped their educational and career choices.
One student who benefited from the experience was Luis Retta, an incoming 11th-grade student at W. H. Adamson High School.
“Mack R. Douglas once said that when a ‘man has done his best, has given his all, and in the process supplied the needs of his family and his society, that man has made a habit of succeeding’,” said Luis Retta, an intern at AT&T. “I definitely tried my best and gave it my all at AT&T, and to add to it, I was able to help my family financially. It’s the kind of success that fuels you, and I feel fortunate to have gotten the opportunity.”
The summer internship program posed challenges – transportation, because most kids rely on DART; family responsibilities such as caring for younger siblings; attire, particularly for firms that require professional dress; and personal obligations, like sports and night school. Some employers provided DART passes and even transported students to and from bus stops.
“Bottom line, these young people’s lives have been changed for the better, as a result of these internships,” said Mayor Leppert.
MAYOR’S INTERN FELLOWS PROGRAM
WORKING IN CONJUNCTION WITH
Summer 2009
(Sponsored by Global 360)