Children’s Minnesota is excited to share that we once again hosted interns through our equity and inclusion (E&I) summer internship program during the 2021 summer!
The goal of the E&I internship program is to expose high school and college students to different career options at Children’s Minnesota, as well as to allow students the opportunity to learn and engage in areas that they potentially see as a future career opportunity.
Meet the 2021 E&I interns
- Kao Kou Xiong, finance intern.
- Yecenia Salas-Mimbrera, marketing and communications intern.
- Ubah Omar, ambulatory care intern.
- Cinira Yang, value and clinical excellence, improvement team intern.
- Beautifull Porter, investments department intern.
- Entisar Bedasso, CPDP intern.
- Abdifatah (Abdi) Said, foundation intern.
- Amal Bare, value and clinical excellence intern.
- Salmai Mendoza, equity and inclusion intern.
- Michelle Xiong, simulation intern.
- Marlene Velasco, finance intern.
- Vanessa Dominguez, advocacy intern.
About the E&I internship program
By 2050, one out of two eligible workers in Minnesota will be people of color and Native American. This is why enhancing Children’s Minnesota’s existing internship program to include even more opportunities for diverse high school and college students will significantly impact our ability to recruit and retain a diverse workforce today and in the future.
“We want all who engage with us to feel valued, included, respected and supported. That means having a workforce and partners who reflect the diversity and rich backgrounds of the communities we serve,” said James Burroughs, vice president, chief equity and inclusion officer. “Having the equity and inclusion internship program creates a pipeline of talent that ensures that those from diverse backgrounds have access to future employment opportunities at Children’s Minnesota. This, in turn, ensures best-in-class care for patients and families.”
The amazing work of the E&I interns
Dr. Samreen Vora, medical director of the Simulation Center, expressed her gratitude for the E&I internship program: “The simulation program had the privilege of participating in the E&I internship program in the summer of 2019. It was a great opportunity to engage with a young, enthusiastic person who brought new perspectives to our team and to Children’s [Minnesota].”
The 2019 Simulation Center intern, Suad, was a student at the University of St. Thomas, who was incredibly eager to learn and try new things. Not only did this internship help her add new skills to her portfolio, Saud and the other interns brought new ideas to Children’s Minnesota.
“Being part of the internship program was a great opportunity to help create the groundwork for long term diversity, equity and inclusion at Children’s [Minnesota],” said Dr. Vora.
Hear from the interns
The 2021 interns describe the value of the equity and inclusion summer internship program in this video.
Our internship partners
In 2021, Children’s Minnesota will be working with the following partners to provide high school and college internship opportunities:
Step Up
Step Up is a collective of support that unites businesses, schools, nonprofits and the city together in a common goal: To build and strengthen our future economy and the talented youth who will power it. They help organizations—like Children’s Minnesota—diversify their workforce and build a competitive pipeline of young, skilled workers for the entire region. Step Up is a partnership of the City of Minneapolis, AchieveMpls, CareerForce Minneapolis and Project for Pride in Living.
Achieve College Internships
Achieve College Internships launched in 2020. The new Achieve College Internships program provides career-building opportunities for college juniors – especially Minneapolis Public Schools graduates and Step Up alumni – who are underrepresented in Twin Cities companies and local internship programs. The program connects students with high-quality paid summer internships, mentors and professional networks that can help launch their careers. It also helps employers strengthen their recruitment and retention of talented, diverse students who want to begin their careers in the Twin Cities.
Right track
Right Track provides summer jobs (YJ01) and internships (YJ02) for Saint Paul youth who are from low-income families or have a barrier to employment.
Urban Scholars
Urban Scholars is a leadership and professional development internship program that students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds with distinctive professional experience. Focused on essential leadership skills and creating resume-building career pathways, Urban Scholars is training the next generation of leaders.
Dougherty Family College
Dougherty Family College provides students with the opportunity to explore careers, build relationships with the top organizations in the Twin Cities and learn the soft skills necessary to successfully navigate the professional workplace—all as an integral part of their high-quality academic experience.
Wallin Partners
Wallin Partners enables college and career success for Minnesota students with financial need through scholarships, comprehensive advising support and collaboration with educational, business and philanthropic partners.
If you are interested in learning more about the internship program at Children’s Minnesota, please contact Keisha Powell within equity and inclusion at [email protected].