Katherine Olives
Last week marked the end of another successful internship program! Thanks to the generous sponsorship from BNY Mellon, the Zahn Center placed students in paid internships with the following social enterprises and nonprofits:
- Echoing Green
- Bridges Ventures
- B Lab Corp
- Global Futures Group
- Impact Hub
- EV Box
- Shade
- Duro UAS
- Business Initiative Corporation Of New York
- Le Sel Foundation
Every internship position offered a diverse experience for the specific student, from marketing to engineering. Last week, each intern shared what they learned throughout the semester and presented the projects they worked on. Not only did they each own a special project, but they learned a lot about themselves and their place in the “working world.” Anika Islam, intern at B Lab, said, “I saw that companies can and should stand for something more than the bottom line. This is a value I intend to bring to every team and organization I go on to join.”
Employers were equally satisfied with the internships this year. “Working with Anika and the Zahn Center was a blessing,” said Jennifer Warden of B Lab. She was also impressed by the presentations and passion she witnessed at the final event, like BNY Mellon's Andrew Conde, who said “It was a truly inspiring evening.” Several employers were so impressed by the City College students in our program that they rehired their interns from last semester. Kate Hayes of Echoing Green said, “We absolutely love our partnership with the Zahn Innovation Center, and hope to continue working with your interns in the future.”
Possibly the most exciting thing about last week's event was learning that one of Echoing Green's interns, Engell Latollari, was officially offered a full-time position upon his graduation! “In today's world, it's stressful enough for students to find jobs, let alone jobs they love. Seeing Engell's smile and knowing that he's so happy to have his ‘dream job' is incredibly rewarding to us at the Zahn Center,” said Anna Hutcheson, Internship Program Manager at the Zahn Innovation Center.
Anna and the rest of the Zahn Team can't wait to meet the next cohort of summer interns. Look for a blog coming soon to learn more about their exciting placements!