Congratulations to our Fall 2021 Featherstone Corporate Internship Fellows. With employers’ self-reported inability to systematically “find diverse talent” and the challenges of securing internships due to COVID-19, we developed the Featherstone Corporate Internship Program program as a solution.
The Featherstone Corporate Internship Program provides economic opportunities for students from underrepresented communities. As a result of our program, students receive PAID, 15-week professional internships supported by the Featherstone Foundation. Our program mitigates student-reported choices between unpaid fieldwork or paid positions without professional gains.
Intern Spotlight: Cesia Calero met Mayor Brandon Scott during her Featherstone internship with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs when she accompanied MIMA and CASA de Maryland volunteers to provide information to the community about vaccinations. MIMA prominently featured and highlighted their Featherstone Fellow, Cesia Calero, in their most e-newsletter. Cesia led a MIMA webinar in Spanish for high school students and young adults about the COVID-19 vaccine. At the conclusion of her Featherstone Internship on May 31, 2021, MIMA raised funds to extend her internship for ten additional weeks and nearly doubled her pay.
Students will gain practical experience, learn new skills, build critical professional relationships, receive resume enhancements and harness a competitive edge in the job market. In addition, the Featherstone Foundation will offer monthly virtual workshops for students through Zoom with our leading experts and mentors focused on resume development, interviewing, the importance of networking, social capital and a growth mindset.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some opportunities will be offered virtually and other opportunities will be available in-person based on the needs of the employers.
2021 phenomenal host organizations:
- Afro Newspaper
- Living Classrooms
- Maryland Public Television
- Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA)
- B-360 Baltimore with OSI Baltimore Community Fellow Brittany Young (2018)
- Southeast Community Development Corporation (Southeast CDC)
As a result of our program, students will gain relevant work experience, bolster their resumes, and attend monthly professional development workshops organized as part of our Featherstone College Speakers’ Series, open to undergraduate and graduate students in the Baltimore area. Students learn about financial literacy, managing their career virtually, using social media to build their personal brand, tackling imposter syndrome, and entrepreneurship.
