Achieve College Internships wraps up final summer
After five years of providing high-quality internships for diverse alumni of Achieve Twin Cities high school programs, we are bringing our Achieve College Internships (ACI) program to a close at the end of August. We will be refocusing our staff and financial resources on our signature high school programs, including career and college readiness services in Minneapolis and Saint Paul public high schools and the Step Up youth employment program in partnership with the City of Minneapolis.
ACI history and impact
Achieve College Internships was launched in 2020 in partnership with the Minnesota Private College Fund (MPCF) to connect talented, diverse college juniors with career-oriented paid summer internships, professional training, mentors and networks at local companies and organizations. The program was created to help young professionals launch their careers in the Twin Cities, close equity gaps in access to college internship programs, and help employers discover and support new talent.
During these five years, ACI has provided critical career-building experiences for 198 interns from over a dozen colleges and universities in partnership with 95 Twin Cities employers. We believe ACI has had a tremendous impact on the ability of a far wider range of college students to access top-quality, professional internships and professional mentorship. With our employer partners, ACI supported our interns in building greater confidence, skills and assets to kick-off their professional careers, and in some cases, land professional positions immediately after graduation.
Thanks to our generous partners and interns
It has been a very difficult decision to end ACI, and we are proud of everything the program has accomplished in this short time. We are tremendously thankful for our collaboration with MPCF and all of our dedicated employers who invested their expertise, time and resources in equipping these talented college interns for future careers. And we are proud of our outstanding intern participants, who are now bringing their enormous skills and talents into leadership roles at many organizations.
We are honored to have had the opportunity to collaborate with our community in this impactful program, and we look forward to continued engagement with our employers and program alumni. Our heartfelt thanks, with hope for future partnerships!