March 08, 2018 (Dallas, TX) – More than 350 junior and senior students participated in an inaugural internship expo today, sponsored by long-term corporate and NAFTrack partner, Capital One. The event was located at The PLACE – T.D. Jakes Ministries and featured students from the NAF academies of finance, engineering, information technology, health sciences, as well as hospitality and tourism at approximately 15 high schools in the Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD).
High school students from Justin F. Kimball; Woodrow Wilson; North Dallas; Skyline; Emmett Conrad; Thomas Jefferson; Adamson; Sunset; Bryan Adams; IDEA; Townview SEM; W.T. White; Hillcrest; and H. Grady Spruce had the unique opportunity to attend a college fair, with representation from North Texas post-secondary institutions, including the University of North Texas, Grand Canyon University, El Centro Community College, Southern Methodist University, Texas Tech University, Texas Woman’s University, University of Dallas and the University of Texas-Arlington. Junior students met with local companies such as NAF Future Ready Labs powered by Capital One, Verizon and Hilton Anatole and were interviewed on the spot for summer internships.
Sr. Learning Associate at Capital One, Andrella Thomas, hosted a branding workshop for students that allowed them to use their critical thinking skills and creativity to design a hashtag button to pin on their shirts to represent their personal brand. Additionally, senior students presented projects on a variety of relevant issues including addressing energy poverty, commercial real estate, biomedical innovations, automated registrations and how to create a smarter and safer society.
Monica Shortino, Director, Social Innovation, Capital One; Richard Grimsley, Director, Career Education and Workforce Partnerships, Dallas ISD; Shane Thomas, CTE Coordinator, Dallas ISD; and Brooke Rice, Director, Future Ready Labs at NAF, all delivered remarks at the internship expo. The keynote address was given by Jonathan Jones, an Amazon best-selling author and founder of the No Complain Campaign, which provides daily motivation and inspires others to be grateful.
“Capital One is committed to helping our future workforce achieve its full potential. Through our partnership with NAF, we are taking deliberate actions today to help students prepare for the careers of tomorrow,” said President of Capital One Financial Services, and Treasurer of NAF, Sanjiv Yajnik. “These paid internships will help empower our youth with digital skills needed in the quickly changing global economy.”
NAF President, JD Hoye, said, “We would like to extend our thanks to Capital One for hosting this incredible day of engagement for NAF Dallas ISD juniors and seniors, that allowed them to connect with local colleges and companies. Today’s event is a perfect example of the importance of committed partners getting involved in activities like these to support their communities and local talent pipelines.”
Capital One has partnered with NAF since 2009 to provide workforce development opportunities for students to help them better prepare for college and career. Additionally, this leading financial corporation has provided internship opportunities to NAF students and has allowed them to demonstrate their classroom knowledge in a real-world workplace setting. Capital One also piloted NAF Future Ready Labs in North Texas during summer 2017.
This partnership is a part of Capital One’s Future Edge, an initiative launched in 2015, that pledged $150 million over five years to help prepare more Americans with the skills, tools and resources they need to succeed in an ever-changing digitally-driven economy. As part of this initiative, Future Edge Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) symbolizes Capital One’s commitment to make DFW a destination for top talent, spur growth as a world-renowned technology hub, and nurture leaders of tomorrow.
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About NAF
NAF is a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work together to ensure that high school students are college, career and future ready.
NAF works with high need communities to transform the high school experience through an educational design that includes industry-specific curricula, work-based learning experiences and relationships with business professionals, culminating in a paid internship. NAF academies fit within and enhance school systems, allowing NAF to become an integral part of a plan for higher achievement at a low cost. NAF academies focus on one of five career themes: finance, hospitality and tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences. During the 2017-18 school year, more than 100,000 students attended 644 NAF academies across 36 states, including DC and the US Virgin Islands. In 2017, NAF academies reported 97% of seniors graduated with 90% of graduates with post-secondary intentions. For more information, please visit: https://naf.org.