Internship Program for Maine's Students of Color!

The Internship Program!

I am working with local education, community, business leaders, Maine State and Portland Regional Chambers of Commerce, Bangor Savings Bank, Memic, Unum, MaineHealth, LL Bean, and Northern Light to create the Students of Color Internship Initiatives Program.

This internship program is open to all students, but we are encouraging older students of color at USM and SMCC to apply because they are among the least likely to apply for an internship program, but they may be more ready to transition into a starting job. All companies involved in the internship program will also offer entry level positions for interested interns.

These internship positions are paid internship programs and because Focus Maine and Educate Maine are involved, students of color will qualify for their professional development for students of color program, and I will also create a mentoring program between professionals of color in the Greater Portland area and interns of color in our pilot program. We will also create a fund to offset potential barriers to internship such as transportation or childcare costs. Lastly, Bangor Savings has graciously offered to provide DEI training for all the internship coordinators. Our goal is that these large companies who may have already gone through these trainings become the train the trainer and mentors as we grow this program when we include smaller companies that may not have had DEI training or have a larger HR staff or department. We will also include other colleges and universities in the coming years and the hope is to replicate this program in Lewiston and Bangor. We currently have twenty-one guarantee paid internship spots. Here is the link to the internship application website. I am humbled by the generosity and support of our community, education, and business leaders with this initiative.

https://sites.google.com/educatemaine.org/chamber-internship-initiative/home

There are almost three thousand students of color between USM and SMCC and there are almost 1100 older, non-traditional students of color between the two schools and just at USM there are 150 older students of color in the Business degree program and fifty older students of color in the IT program alone. SMCC has about ½ as many.

Here is what I need:

1. Please encourage students of color at USM and SMCC to apply for these internships. It is open to all students, but we are encouraging older students of color to apply because they are less likely to apply.

2. Professionals of color – my good friend, Carolyn Brady – Bowdoin graduate and Georgetown U master’s degree candidate, will help coordinate the mentor and mentee matches. If you are a professional of color in southern Maine and are interested in being a mentor to check in on a student of color this summer via phone call, email or zoom to offer support and advice, please call, dm or email me.

3. If you would like to contribute to the Equity Fund to lower barriers to internships, please let me know.

Thanks!
Tae