Last week, NASA announced a variety of events celebrating the agency’s interns and their contributions to its missions in recognition of National Intern Day, held this year on Thursday, July 28.
Current interns, mentors, and internship coordinators from across the agency shared their experiences and advice for those interested in pursuing a career in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
“Behind every successful NASA mission, there are interns making meaningful contributions. Our interns today truly are the Artemis Generation,” said Mike Kincaid, associate administrator for STEM Engagement at NASA. “They’re helping us to reach new heights and to send humans back to the Moon and on to Mars.”
Internships help prepare students to become part of the future workforce for the nation and at NASA, which the Partnership for Public Service recently named the “Best Place to Work in the Federal Government” for the ninth year in a row.
2022 marked the fifth annual celebration of the holiday dedicated to interns. According to the founders of the unique workforce day, Liz and JJ of WayUp, National Intern Day has brought attention to the challenges and inequalities faced by entry-level candidates, inspiring investments into internship programs and interns themselves.
WayUp has yet to reveal the employers named to the 2022 Top 100 Internship Programs list. But we took had another look at the 2021 winners and here are some fun facts from last year’s list.
Twitter interns are called Terns, which is a type of seabird because they love bird puns! They also try to bring the office culture to the virtual program by mailing snacks and office decor to the interns.
Southwestern Advantage claims to be the oldest internship in the US, with over 150,000 interns from 1,600 Universities having been involved throughout the program’s lifetime.
During the pandemic, Clorox honored all of its internship offers and added more internships to give more students opportunities who had lost theirs due to pandemic upheaval.
At Google, one Ph.D. intern in 2021 spent her internship on the Hearing Accessibility team, where she tested a bracelet that can translate audio into tactile vibrations, which can provide an added layer of communication in addition to lipreading.
Lenovo’s interns were tasked with running the summer program themselves. Through the Lenovo Influencer Program, interns could showcase their Lenovo products on social media.
At the Motorola experience center, Interns learn about Motorola products, software, and services, and get to see how their contributions are helping people be their best in the moments that matter.
The CEO at SAP started as an intern! The program is live in 20 countries, and intern projects get put into production with incredible results. Each quarter SAP has a different theme that aligns with program values and learnings.
Cigna helps interns connect by matching them with 5 other interns using an AI matching algorithm. They build social networks and get to know each other at an individual level, even while virtual.
The IBM Intern Radio Show is a unique opportunity for interns to host a weekly radio show on the IBM radio station. Interns interview their peers, bring on special guests and share their favorite beats.
Mars runs an innovative program where interns have the opportunity to create a product for the business, while also helping to reduce Mars’ carbon footprint by incorporating resources or products that could go to waste (like coco fibers).
Lumen, a technology company that enables companies to capitalize on emerging applications and power the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), topped the 2021 list of companies with the 100 best internship programs in the U.S.
Other employers included Adobe, Akamai Technologies, Amazon, American Express, and Asana. According to the press release, the Bank of America intern class has nearly 2,000 students in 170+ locations, representing 350+ campuses, and speaking 70+ different languages.
BD Interns visited manufacturing plants where life-saving items are created. They also get to visit the R&D laboratories, meet with leadership in marketing, quality, and medical segments, and share their innovative ideas with the CEO.
Datadog interns are encouraged to network with Datadog through the various Donut Slack Channels available. These channels match interns with employees across the globe and different departments for conversation.
Interns at VMware participate in a poster session to showcase their project work on a virtual platform which allows employees to view the work on their own time. VMware employees also get to vote for their favorite posters.
The EY Badges program allows interns to earn credentials in future-focused skills. Should the intern choose to join EY full-time, credentials earned during the internship will carry over.
At Freddie Mac their mission is to “make home possible”, a place where everyone is welcome. Directors, senior leaders, associates, and interns interact together to better the company. Over 85% of interns received a full-time or return internship offer.
ICIMS developed a curriculum of classes on sought-after skills like how to share & receive feedback, & how to cultivate a next-level professional brand. They are committed to ensuring the next wave of talent is ready to make an impact.
Steve Wozniak (Apple Co-Founder) was one of the Keynote speakers to the interns on Terminix’s Orientation Day! Terminix also offers Myers-Briggs Personality Assessments for all interns.
Texas Instruments has a Belonging & Balance event to give interns time to learn to find belonging, balance, and authenticity at work. Presentations from the TI fitness center, D&I, benefits & wellbeing, and volunteering teams are included in the event.
Roblox puts their own spin on the Youtube series “Hot Ones”. The Roblox CTO participates in a live Q&A with interns to share his career journey and the future of Roblox – all while eating spicy chicken wings.
Johnson & Johnson has themed events where interns are encouraged to “Define Yourself” and “Define Your Future” while discussing concepts of purpose, motivation, holistic health, locus of control, and a variety of different helpful topics.
Cisco implemented Fun Friday, a day for activities like game night, open mic, lip syncs, cooking challenges, and more. They also have a wellness week dedicated to the mental, physical, and emotional health of their interns.
The World Wide Technology internship program was recognized by the CEO of Great Place to Work as the largest internship program in the world, and they continue to grow year after year.
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