▸ Internships and Scholarships
Oracle Corporation, a multinational computer technology company headquartered in Redwood Shores, Calif., is committed to diversity and inclusion. Every year Oracle offers two programs to support both its commitment to advancing computer education globally and the company’s broader efforts to increase the number of underrepresented communities in technology fields.
The new Oracle Developers Scholars Program (ODSP) is for African Americans, Latinx, Native Americans, and women who are currently pursuing a degree in one of the following disciplines: computer science, computer engineering, and software engineering/development. The program is the latest internship Oracle developed to help improve the educational outcomes of minority students and position them for career success. It features intensive focus on computer engineering, software development, and specialties within those fields. Students applying for the ODSP should have some experience in software coding languages through either class or project work or work experience, either paid or unpaid.
The company launched the ODSP in 2020 to complement its Oracle UNCF Corporate Scholars Program (OSCP), a long-standing summer internship opportunity for college students from underrepresented communities. The OSCP is for students pursuing a wide range of majors relevant across Oracle’s operations — STEM disciplines as well as fields of study such as business, marketing, and human resources. The ODSP and OSCP experiences include a competitive salary, regular mentoring, networking opportunities across the business, and scholarship awards of up to $10,000 for students who successfully complete their internships. The programs also cover travel and housing expenses.
Both internships are eight-week, full-time programs that take place at a key Oracle office location in the United States. Interns are placed with teams working in their field of interest and are challenged to help solve real-world problems alongside seasoned colleagues. Students applying for the ODSP must be college sophomores at the time of application; ODSP applicants should be in their freshman, sophomore, or junior year when applying. Additional eligibility requirements for the internships include U.S. citizenship (or U.S. national or permanent resident status), enrollment in a four-year college or university, and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
➜ Qualified students are welcome to apply for both internships. For more details about qualifications, applications, and deadlines, visit the Oracle Developers Scholars Program or Oracle UNCF Corporate Scholars Program.
Lee Johnson, Navajo Nation, is a UNCF Scholar who recently graduated from Dixie State University in St. George, Utah, with a bachelor’s degree in information technology and a minor in computer science.
What is your educational background, and how did you become interested in IT and computer science? I graduated from Page High School in Page, Ariz. I actually thought I might go into auto mechanics of some kind, but I ended up taking a computer repair class because I heard you could play video games after class. As it turned out, I discovered I was really interested in computers and how they work on the inside. I realized then that I should pursue IT in college.
Why did you decide to apply for the UNCF internship? When I was a junior in college, I noticed the opportunity from Oracle online. It seemed very relevant to my major and career interests, so I submitted my application and supporting information. Fortunately, they accepted me, and I spent the summer of 2019 at the Oracle campus in Reston, Va.
What were some of the highlights of your UNCF experience? People at Oracle were very welcoming and went out of their way to involve interns in their day-to-day work. Maybe at some companies interns are on the sidelines, but not at Oracle. I got a lot of hands-on experience. Everyone was professional, and I was included in so many different kinds of meetings and planning sessions. The mentoring was also key, and I met with my mentor daily. She offered great guidance, helped me gain a strong understanding of the company’s tools, and prepared me to succeed while I was there.
What kind of work did you do as an intern? I was happy to be part of the IT Security team and we met every week to discuss our work. I definitely felt like I was part of a bigger effort. For my summer project, I was tasked with conducting a comparative analysis of IT tools. At the end of the summer, I wrote a report that included recommendations based on my work, made a PowerPoint presentation, and had the opportunity to present it not only to my peers and the team I worked with, but also to people from other parts of the business and management.
What is your advice for someone thinking about applying for an Oracle internship? I say go for it! Applying felt like a shot in the dark for me, and I got in. You don’t have to worry about how much experience you have, because they help you learn on the job. It’s an amazing experience and puts you in a great position to enter the workforce with confidence.
▸ American Indian Summer Pilot Program
The Mayo Clinic is launching a new four-week summer program for American Indian/Alaska Native undergraduate students in STEM who are interested in health careers. The opportunity is the latest in a series of Mayo Clinic efforts focused on future Native physicians.
The first three weeks of the pilot program will take place at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. In addition to clinical shadowing with world-renowned Mayo Clinic experts, students will take part in culturally informed health scenario simulations, receive advanced science instruction, and learn how to develop their interview and personal statement skills. Participants will also benefit from mentoring, culturally based team-building opportunities, and a customized Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) preparation workshop.
In the fourth week of the program, students will travel to participate in the Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) Pre-Admission Workshop and Annual Meeting in Tacoma, Wash. The Pre-Admission Workshop will be run by faculty from the University of Minnesota, Duluth (UMD) in conjunction with AAIP. Experts leading the experience will include Tlingit family medicine physician Dr. Mary Owen, director of the UMD Center of American Indian and Minority Health. Participants will receive a stipend and a year of access to an online MCAT prep course. Note: The selection date for the pilot cohort was March 26.
➜ For more information, contact Program Director Marcy Averill at averill.marcy@mayo.edu.
Marcy Averill of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa is a program director for the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Office for Diversity, and has been involved with AISES for 30 years. Jonathan Baines, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Program, is a Tlingit family medicine physician.
Why did the Mayo Clinic decide to create this opportunity? The launch of this program builds on more than 20 years of Dr. Judith Salmon Kaur’s Spirit of EAGLES support of American Indian/Alaska Native students pursuing health and research careers. (She is a previous recipient of the AISES Ely S. Parker Award.) It is also part of a larger constellation of efforts by the Mayo Clinic to reconcile its history and move forward in partnership with American Indian/Alaska Native communities.
How did you decide to structure the program, and what is its ultimate goal? Leaders of the highly successful efforts at the University of North Dakota Indians into Medicine (INMED) program and the University of Minnesota Duluth Center for American Indian and Minority Health shared lessons learned and have generously mentored us. As we developed the program, students previously supported by Mayo Clinic travel scholarships for AISES conferences and other conferences gave input on the content and format. The experience is designed specifically for STEM students with a serious interest in heath careers. Our ultimate goal — and that of our partners in this effort — is to increase the number of Native physicians.
What else can you share about candidates who should apply for the program? We are especially interested in applicants who plan to take — or retake — the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). The curriculum offers strong support for students as they prepare to take the MCAT, and also as they work to succeed in the broader medical school application process.
Can you tell us more about the mentoring component of the program? This is a key aspect of the program and its support for American Indian/Alaska Native STEM students. Participants will have the opportunity to work with mentors who are Mayo Clinic staff and near peers in the Association of Native American Medical Students (ANAMS).
How many students will be included in 2020, and how do you see the program evolving? We anticipate that the 2020 pilot will include 15 students. Depending on lessons learned during the pilot, we may expand the number of participants and the curriculum may evolve to become a six- to eight-week experience. It is our hope that the program could grow to include high school STEM students who are interested in health careers.
