The innovative internship was designed to create more meaningful experiences for students on a wider scale.
A better future starts by meaningfully investing in the next generation. No one understands this more than NAF, a national nonprofit network of education, business and community leaders working to ensure high school students in underserved communities are college and career ready.
Identifying the need for more meaningful internship experiences for Dallas ISD students, NAF partnered with Capital One to launch a summer internship program. The program gives students the opportunity to put their education into practice in a unique work environment.
More than 30 students were chosen for the internship, which took place at Capital One’s corporate offices in Plano this past summer. Brea Williams, a senior at Dallas ISD’s Wilmer-Hutchins High School, was one of those interns. She says the experience helped her develop better communication skills. “I have learned so much about how to communicate while working in a corporate group setting, which is helpful because my ideal career would involve in-person work and hands-on activities every day,” she shares. “This internship has given me knowledge that I’ll not only use for work, but in everyday life.”
The internship selection process happened during Capital One’s Virtual Career Expo in March, where more than 300 NAF students learned about auto financial literacy, personal branding and navigating the corporate landscape.
Sly Yeoman, program mentor and senior department operations manager on Capital One’s Auto Finance team, hopes teaching students about the auto industry will empower them to join a field they maybe wouldn’t have considered before this experience. “My hope is that by allowing the interns to peek behind the curtain, so to speak, a spark is created that channels future choices and goals that will achieve professional success,” he says.
Yeoman served as a mentor along with 28 Capital One volunteers, leading interns through projects centered around the elevation of the customer and auto dealer partner experience. Students participated in Capital One’s newly launched Auto Financial Literacy training. They also learned about all aspects of the auto buying process, including interest rates, loan terms and credit scores, which can help consumers make more informed buying decisions and avoid potential pitfalls throughout the car ownership experience. The sessions delved into topics such as financial planning and credit counseling, and demonstrated how providing consumers with these resources can help them achieve long-term financial success and stability.
Managing Vice President Steve Chiagouris says confident and informed consumers who have a positive dealership experience can lead to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth referrals. Connecting consumers to these resources (financial planning, credit counseling, etc.) helps them achieve long-term financial success and stability. Promoting auto financial literacy is a win-win for both consumers and dealers, creating a more transparent and equitable auto buying process.
As a follow up to what students learned during the Auto Financial Literacy training sessions, they competed in a Tik Tok challenge, creating videos that included car-buying tips. The winning video was shared through NAF’s social media channels.
During the expo, Capital One HR partners also held interviews with more than 100 students, and from those interviews, students were selected for the summer internship. Over the course of the six-week program, interns split their time between hybrid remote and the Capital One campus in Plano. Students engaged in a variety of opportunities designed to help them master skills that would translate to their own futures in the workplace.
Program facilitators throughout NAF and Dallas ISD say having a front row seat to the progress students make during their internships is priceless — from the people to the sessions, energy and culture created during the program — and that the NAF program is shaping a bright future for these students. Caitlin Schmidt, a program facilitator says, “The interns are the most motivating part. Watching them learn valuable corporate skills while creating relationships and learning about careers they might never have dreamed could be possible, makes any extra hour over the summer more than worth it!”