Robust Internship Pipeline Runs Through Shaw University

RALEIGH — Sounds simple enough — turn on your camera during virtual interviews for internships. And activate voicemail on your phone so someone actually can leave a message about an opportunity. It’s hard to follow-up otherwise, said Michael Leach, a senior advisor for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

“That creates challenges for us,” Leach said.

The Shaw University alumnus was the guest speaker during his alma mater’s second annual Career and Professional Development Banquet Signing Day. It’s signing day because students put their signatures on a commemorative frame indicating where they’ve landed internships and jobs. Many of Shaw University’s employment partners were at the banquet.

“If you’re considering applying for one of our internships at DHHS, know that you have a fellow Bear in your corner,” Leach said. “But don’t be surprised if you’re held to a higher standard.”

Missing out on an internship because a prospective mentor couldn’t get in touch or was turned off by unprofessional attire could change the trajectory of a career, Leach suggested.

“I know the impact of what an internship means for students that look like me,” said Leach, who is Black. “I know that internships create opportunities for professional and personal growth.”

Emily Schoonhagen gets it.

“I was in your shoes at one point,” she told the students.

There was an internship opportunity at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Schoonhagen knew the company had something to do with health insurance but figured it didn’t have opportunities in marketing for her.

“I did not know what Blue Cross had to offer,” she said.

Schoonhagen took the internship, wasn’t afraid to ask questions and eventually figured out how she could carve out a career. She’s a business operations advisor for Blue Cross NC’s retail centers.

Shaw University junior Isaiah Richardson has interned with ESPN, affording him real-world experience behind the lens for the preeminent brand in sports broadcasting. The decisions informed by his creative eye behind the camera get shown to the masses. To hear him tell it, a TV producer is only as good as the camera operators.

“Show the producer, ‘You’re not the only one with a good idea,’” Richardson quipped.

Morgan Ray is the architect of the opportunities Shaw University students are getting. She’s the director of experiential learning and career development at the university.

“We have a lot of students who got opportunities this summer and this spring,” Ray said.

Opportunities at Red Hat, for example, and Deloitte, Biogen, the U.S. Department of Defense, the N.C. General Assembly.

“Our partnership here at Shaw University is stronger because you continue to advocate and put the Shaw University students first,” Leach told Ray. “It’s because of your encouragement, promotion and mentorship of these students that we have had 18 students from Shaw University to go through our program.”