Talent comes from many different places and backgrounds. For the first time, Symantec hosted two high school foster youth interns at the Mountain View, California headquarters.
At age 18, 75% of foster youth have little to no work experience (Child Welfare Initiative) and any experience they may have is not in the tech sector. Therefore, the need to provide specific work readiness training and science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) skills training to foster youth early in high school is crucial in order to help them succeed academically and in the workforce.
Fortunately, two San Francisco Bay Area nonprofits, TeenForce and the Silicon Valley Children’s Fund, recognized this concern and did something to change it. Launched in 2014 through a Clinton Global Foundation America commitment, the two partnered to bring STEM education, work readiness training, and paid STEM internships to 100% of the high school foster youth in Santa Clara County.
Since the program launch, Symantec has financially supported the Foster Youth STEM and Work Readiness Training Program and this summer, we were honored to host two brave teenaged interns in our Corporate Responsibility and Human Resource departments.
Symantec’s TeenForce interns completed a variety of projects for both the Corporate Responsibility and Human Resources teams.
Can you describe your role as an intern at Symantec?
Intern 1: I spent the summer interning with the Corporate Responsibility (CR) department, which manages Symantec’s employee engagement, philanthropic investment, environmental initiatives, and diversity and inclusion efforts. My job was to provide project support to the CR team. My projects ranged from organizing our volunteer apparel to building project trackers in Excel to making a recruiting guide on veterans for Symantec recruiters.
Intern 2: I worked in Human Resources (HR) Services, supporting teams all over HR from University Relations to Benefits. I recently built an internal Wiki for University Relations and planned a company event in partnership with our café and our near-site health clinic for Mountain View employees. I also conducted research for the Diversity and Inclusion team.
What were you hoping to gain from your internship?
Intern 1: I came into this internship to gain work experience and to better understand what a job looks like. I had never previously held an official job before so this was an exciting and new experience. This internship was everything I expected and more.
Intern 2: Through TeenForce, I had the opportunity to intern at SanDisk for the Information Technology team last year and had a great experience. However, I’ve become more interested in going into business, and wanted the chance to interact and collaborate with more people in the corporate world. I definitely did just that and have made many new connections during my time here.
What were your biggest takeaways from this experience?
Intern 1: My biggest takeaway is that work is fun with the right group of people and I was very fortunate to serve under a very welcoming group. Not only did I gain more work experience but I also had a lot of fun. I learned how to work in both a corporate field and a tech field. I loved that I had experience in two fields for the price of one.
Intern 2: The most memorable moments of my internship so far just have to be the many great interactions I’ve had with other employees. I’ve learned so much about working with others in order to get tasks done.
How would you describe your overall experience in the TeenForce & Silicon Valley Children’s Fund program?
Intern 1: The program was very interesting and I learned a lot from the instructors. I do wish more people would be interested in STEM especially more foster kids. It really is fun and very easy to get the basics.
Intern 2: I was part of their flagship STEM program that launched in January 2015 so this was my second year in the program. The staff at TeenForce is amazing and the program has provided me with experience and opportunities that have truly helped me grow as a person.
Our philanthropy program at Symantec focuses on introducing students to computer science and cybersecurity careers, emphasizing youth with diverse backgrounds. The ongoing partnership with TeenForce is one example, you can read more on our website.
Jaime Barclay is Symantec’s Corporate Philanthropy Manager.