Internship Program Seeks to Inspire Innovation, Service

By Derek Hardin

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio — An honors student/student body president, a PhD student at the University of California – Berkeley, and a recently-hired mechanical engineer at Robins AFB in Warner Robins, GA: What do all of these people have in common?  They are all former participants of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) Internship Program at the Air Force Research Lab, who credit the program as a key component to their successes.

AFRL has been involved in the TMCF program for 15 years, and 300 student interns have participated to date.  Each year, this national scholarship internship program offers students attending the 47 publically-supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including law and medical schools, a first-hand professional development experience.  The program focuses on developing leadership skills, introducing various career opportunities, creating a community of scholars, providing companies access to a talented and diverse student population, and helping students make connections that lead to internships and full-time positions.

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