An inside look at the Step-Into-Tech internship program

Jeremy See — I did not expect myself to have a job over this summer, let alone an internship where I learned so much about myself. As a Step-Into-Tech Intern at OpenSesame, I was empowered to explore different careers in technology and to learn how a tech company functions by meeting with many people from different departments. Most high school students barely get any exposure to the tech industry, if at all. At the same time, seniors in high school are required to ask if they could use the restroom, yet in a few months, they have to make a decision on what they want to do for the rest of their life. Moreover, most internships target college students, but that is already too late when high school students have to make a commitment towards a major in their senior year. Students simply do not have a chance to discover their interests, or even decide what they like and dislike. That is why I believe that all high school students should receive this opportunity. All juniors and seniors should have the option for an internship, no matter what race, sex, gender, ethnicity, or what high school they are attending. In order for this to happen, we seek more companies to partner with OpenSesame to implement the Step-Into-Tech program in their companies. Many high school students are more than qualified to start working at an internship, so this is the ideal time to invest in new talent for your company. Will you join us in developing the future of the tech community?Alex Hernandez — Now in its 4th year, OpenSesame’s Step-into-Tech internship program provides a paid, five-hour-a-week introduction to the tech industry targeted towards high school students from underrepresented communities across the US. The program offers students the opportunity to increase their exposure to technology, grow their skills in related areas—such as teamwork and innovation—and collaborate with an OpenSesame mentor specially assigned to them. Our goal is to instill confidence by giving students the opportunity to shine. We want students to say ‘I didn’t even know those jobs existed, and I can see myself doing those types of jobs.’ Contact us at alex.hernandez@opensesame.com and jeremy.see@opensesame.com.