By Jackie Torok
Nine North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University students are among 36 chosen from nine of North Carolina’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) selected to participate in the North Carolina Governor’s HBCU Internship Program this summer.
The summer internships are paid, full-time positions for rising juniors or seniors who have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.8 and are active in student and national organizations.
Interning with Syngenta are the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences’ Samaya Brooks and Leonard Jackai, who are studying agribusiness and food industry management.
Amari Budd, who is studying industrial and systems engineering in the College of Engineering, is interning with Lowe’s.
The Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics’ Aniya Cannon and Amaya Montgomery, who are studying finance, Latyya McIntyre, who is studying management with a concentration in innovation and entrepreneurship, and Makayla Richardson, who is studying business administration and management, are interning at Wells Fargo, while Yuri Singletery, who is studying supply chain management, is interning at Coca-Cola Consolidated.
Lasone Midgette, who is studying visual arts-visual media design in the College of Arts, Humanities and Human Sciences, is interning at Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina.
The North Carolina Governor’s HBCU Internship Program, which began in 2015, connects students at North Carolina’s HBCUs with Fortune 500 companies in North Carolina. During their participation, students will gain valuable work experience and increase their competitiveness in the job market. The state’s businesses will also benefit by accessing an untapped, diverse talent pool. Studies show that seven in 10 internships result in full-time work.
North Carolina is home to 13% of the nation’s HBCUs, including five in the UNC system.
All five — North Carolina A&T, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, North Carolina Central University and Winston-Salem State University — are participating in the program.
Private HBCU participants are Bennett College, Saint Augustine’s University, Livingstone College and Shaw University.
“We are fortunate that North Carolina is home to so many excellent HBCUs,” said UNC System President Peter Hans. “Our world-class graduates are ready to put their skills into action, contributing to a thriving economy and bolstering North Carolina’s industry. My thanks to business leaders for welcoming and developing this diverse array of talent to serve a growing state.”
The UNC System Office serves as the oversight agency for the program, with primary responsibilities for budget oversight, compliance, assessment and reporting.
