14 FEBRUARY 4, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
It’s not news that the COVID-19 pandemic
has put a damper on learning
opportunities for high school
and college students. Unfortunately,
that’s been especially true for underrepresented
students, who oft en face
roadblocks in accessing professional
opportunities.
One glaring issue is that the in-person
internships so crucial to on-the-job
experience have been largely unavailable
in this time of remote learning. As
a result, students are missing out on
the chance to participate in real-world
work settings, gaining practical new
skills, networking with other professionals
and growing further in their
careers.
That’s a big deal, given the importance
of that experience to both employers,
who are seeking to hire future
leaders, and job applicants. Prior to
the pandemic, a 2019 survey by the
National Association of Colleges and
Employers found that 58% of graduating
college seniors who received fulltime
job off ers had completed internships
- and notably, they received 16%
more job off ers than those not privy
to internships.
The good news? Nonprofi t organization
The Center for Excellence in Life
(TCEL) has stepped up to launch the
fi rst-ever paid virtual internship program
geared specifi cally toward underrepresented
students and uniquely
focused on nurturing students beyond
job skills in a specifi c fi eld. This program
already has served more than
80 Black, Latinx and Asian students in
the U.S. in 2020. And with help from
new supporters, its founders hope
to provide many more with valuable
work experiences throughout 2021
and beyond.
“Today’s students are our future
workforce and leaders, but even with
hope on the horizon for COVID-19, the
negative consequences for underrepresented
students can be long-lasting,”
notes TCEL founder Mary Stutts. “At
TCEL, we seek to help students understand
what is possible and achieve
their goals, by providing access, connections,
exposure, and development
of the ‘whole person.’”
Here’s what you should know about
the program, whether you’re a prospective
intern, a company wishing
to participate or a donor interested in
providing fi nancial support for underrepresented
students:
Internships are available in multiple
fi elds. TCEL arranges remote learning
opportunities in disciplines ranging
from STEM fi elds to communications,
fi nance, life sciences, fashion, digital
entertainment and more. The internships
are structured so company
mentors regularly work online with
participants to help them experience
practical, real-life settings and
situations, as they develop the multifaceted
skillsets and perspectives the
future workforce needs.
And the program is intended to be
accessible to all - for example, in 2020,
13% of the TCEL interns without access
to a computer completed the program
using only their phones.
Supporting the “whole person” is
key. For TCEL interns, education goes
beyond specifi c career tracks, with every
intern participating in the “Whole
Person” track. Access to this unique
training teaches interns how to defi ne
a personal brand, build a career while
balancing multiple interests, better
understand personal finances and
care for their mental health.
“The TCEL interns I spoke with
wanted to better understand fi nancial
topics,” notes John Clay, a vice president
at Morgan Stanley and TCEL mentor.
“As a result, I joined forces with
TCEL to continue providing fi nancial
mentoring sessions for all cohorts, to
build foundations for future interns’
personal and professional successes.”
Mental health struggles are at a
dangerous high for young people.
More than 90% of TCEL’s 2020 interns
wrote in their application essays of
experiences with anxiety and depression,
which have been exacerbated by
the COVID-19 pandemic, racial and social
unrest, and a lack of opportunity.
That’s why Kaiser Permanente became
a TCEL sponsor. Its mental health
professionals will provide mental
health-focused mentoring sessions - so
that participants are more equipped to
help themselves and others.
Would-be interns should apply
now. Because the goal is to impact
students early in their education, interns
can apply as high school juniors
and seniors or college freshmen and
sophomores. In 2021, internships will
be available in the spring, summer
and fall. Throughout the program,
students receive stipends to help cover
expenses as they work, since unpaid
internships present a barrier for some
students.
“My goal is to serve as an ambassador
for the United Nations, and I know that
there’s a great need for more women
and people of color in ambassadorship
roles,” notes TCEL intern Kaylyn
Goode, a George Washington University
sophomore studying international
aff airs. “The TCEL internship provided
me with important connections and
knowledge as I work to achieve great
things.”
Donors and supporters are needed.
To thrive, TCEL needs more fi nancial
support from individual and corporate
donors who believe in the importance
of supporting underrepresented
young people and helping to build
paths to success. Additionally, TCEL is
actively searching for industry leaders
and companies willing to share
their expertise.
Recently, TCEL was one of the fi rst
nonprofi ts to receive a contribution
from Life Science Cares, a newly
formed consortium of Bay Area life
science companies leveraging employee
expertise and corporate profi ts
to tackle society’s greatest social issues
including pervasive racial and socioeconomic
inequalities.
The program arose from humble
beginnings. Stutts, a foster child
from a young age, credits her foster
mother (a special education teacher)
with teaching her that all people are
valuable regardless of their labels.
While achieving a successful career in
the biotech industry, Stutts developed
a passion for nurturing underrepresented
youth and founded TCEL to cultivate
creative, academic, professional,
entrepreneurial and life skills. She and
her daughter Loren created the TCEL
internship program to address disadvantages
from the combined forces of
the pandemic and racial injustice.
Supported by major corporations
such as Blue Shield, W2O Group
and others, the virtual internship
program has been enormously uplifting.
Donors and supporters can
visit TheExcellentLifeCenter.org for
more information.
TCEL’s overall mission is to mentor,
inspire and empower youth and
adult professionals in the pursuit of
excellence. Potential participants
in the TCEL Virtual Internship
Program are encouraged to apply at
TheExcellentLifeCenter.org.
— Courtesy of BPT
EDUCATION
How to learn more about new virtual internship programs
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