STEMworks Internship Statewide for High School Students

MEDB’s Women In Technology continues to facilitate a robust internship program for high school and college students across the islands of Hawaii, Lanai, Maui, Molokai and Oahu. During the summer’s 2015 STEMworks™ Internship program, over 40 interns were matched with a host company or organization based on the company’s project needs and the interest and skills of the student. Over the course of six weeks, interns were mentored by industry professionals to advance their real-world experience, build their interpersonal and team communication skills, build confidence in their technological skills and abilities, develop deeper or new insights into STEM and/or Agriculture educational and career pathways, and develop new tech skills and knowledge. While working on company projects, interns also participated in career and professional development training provided by MEDB to help support their internship experience and to help develop their professional skills.

On July 24, 2015 interns, mentors and families from across the state convened on Maui to celebrate the work of each summer intern. As evidenced by the presentations during the project showcase, interns were successfully engaged in a wide variety of high-caliber, hands-on STEM and Agriculture projects and were able to demonstrate their advance knowledge in the latest technology tools and demonstrate their engagement in and exposure to new technologies and career fields. Interns demonstrated increased confidence in their abilities as well as gained new insights into career pathways.

Mahalo to our summer internship host company & organization ‘ohana!

One exciting development of the summer, so far, is a recent announcement by the White House of the Growth Accelerator Fund competition winners. A STEMworks™ summer intern helped create a Maui Food Innovation Center (MFIC) video for the competition submission. This video has just been announced as a Small Business Administration (SBS) $50,000 award winner. The SBA award is intended to support women, minority, and Native Hawaiian-owned businesses developing food products. Visit https://vimeo.com/133098034 to view the winning video.

2015 STEMworks Quotes
“From this internship, I developed important problem solving skills, learned how to manage my time better, and gained a lot of new knowledge about the fields I’m interested in. This internship taught me to think critically and approach problems from different angles. This hands on experience taught me what it is really like to be an engineer.”

“I gained knowledge regarding irrigation water management within Anahaki Farms and the importance of soil and water conservation through irrigations systems and the planting of drought tolerant plants. Everything done on the land has an effect on our coastal areas which then either negatively or positively affects our fisheries.”

“By participating in the internship program I found the real world graphic design experience I’ve been searching for. Without it, I would never have discovered my potential in conceptualizing graphics.”

“I felt that the webinar trainings were really helpful, especially the college planning one. I was put on track on my path to college by creating a plan of which colleges I would like to attend.”

“I learned how to operate ArcGIS on a professional level, as such to where I could help the company complete tasks for them. Another skill I learned is operating in an office environment with co-workers. It was my first time in an environment like that, so I learned a lot office work.”

“It did affect my career goal, as I realize even more how hard farming is and how much harder I will have to work to be a successful farmer. However, I still will continue with completing an Agriculture/Nature resource management and Forestry degree.”

“One skill which I learned was the operating of a tractor while plowing fields and tilling. The technical gearing system and maintenance required is very tedious and requires a lot of listening and problem solving skills.  While assisting with farm tours, I learned the importance of preparation and planning according to the age and background of those who would be attending the farm tour and the importance of communication skills and showcasing crops and plants from farm to table, it included entrepreneur skills and community outreach.”

“I learned that I have the ability to learn things quickly and perform exceptionally even though I had just learned. I hadn’t used ArcGIS before, and within 2 weeks I was able to self-sustain myself through the program and complete tasks my mentor gave me without much help.”

“From this internship, I developed important problem solving skills, learned how to manage my time better, and gained a lot of new knowledge about the fields I’m interested in. This internship taught me to think critically and approach problems from different angles.”   

“I found the Career and Professional Development Skills Webinar Trainings valuable. They really helped me organize my future and decide where I want to go. I had always dreamed about my reach school however I realized that I should really have a match and safety school just in case I don’t make it in.  I also learned a lot about scholarships and resumes.”

“My communication and public speaking skills really improved by leading community talks”

“For my career goals, I would like to be a Biomedical Engineer and a Pathologist (M.D. Ph.D). This internship experience helped me realize that I would really like to work with bionics and robotics one day as a biomedical engineer.”

To learn more about STEMworks Internship:
http://stemworkshawaii.org/internships/