NYC High Schoolers "Own Their Brilliance" with Corporate Light Emely Jorge is a junior at Manhattan Bridges High School and at only 16 years-old she is trained in corporate protocol, building a mobile app and meeting with executives across the city.

How did Emely get here one may ask? Emely is a SCIP Young Leader.

“Last school year, one of my teachers encouraged me to apply for the Selective Corporate Internship Program, otherwise known as SCIP. Upon selection into the highly-coveted SCIP Executive Summer Leadership Program, I learned the ins and outs of the global corporate world, worked on assignments as an intern and was hosted by Microsoft, Thomson Reuters, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Credit Suisse, New York Life, Toshiba and Mitchell Titus to name just a few. SCIP has truly expanded my horizons and given me the confidence and skills to pursue my dreams," shared Emely.

Emely (front row, second to the right) stands proudly with the SCIP Executive Summer Leadership Program, Class of 2015 during a "Super Day" at JP Morgan Chase & Co.

The SCIP High School program (H-SCIP) focuses upon business and STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to provide diverse and economically disadvantaged students insight into future career paths. Through this exposure, SCIP Young Leaders better identify potential majors that lead to career opportunities of their choice. As a result, students then see college as a critical rite of passage to achieve their long-term career aspirations, while aligning themselves more competitively in the global market place.

In 1997, Miguel and Monica McClure Mancebo, former Corporate Human Resources Executives, began collaborating with the Chancellor of the NYC Department of Education to select students from public high schools for an opportunity to gain insight into Corporate America. Aware of the lack of opportunities for young people, whose backgrounds might not allow them to consider careers in Corporate Business and STEM, the Mancebos developed a plan to train and connect deserving students.

Within months, they received over 2,000 applications. A committee of corporate leaders was appointed to carefully evaluate and select three talented students. Over the next several weeks, those students were introduced to both entrepreneurs and corporate executives. Some of the first corporate site visits were to Avon, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Con Edison, NBC, and Time Inc. From this point on, the Selective Corporate Internship Program (SCIP) was formed.

The United Federation of Teachers (UFT), a long time supporter of SCIP, generously provides lunch at a number of SCIP events. Students refueled and boosted their brain power so they could perform their best at the SCIP inaugural National High School STEM Conference and College Exposition.

According to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, "America’s role as a global leader in science, innovation, and equity is fortified by tapping into one of America’s foundational strengths—the unparalleled diversity of the American people and the diversity of ideas that they generate. Research shows that diversity on teams leads to better outcomes; thus, America needs to capitalize on its diverse people to lead the world in innovation in science and technology."

SCIP has exponentially grown since 1997 and on November 18, 2016, SCIP extended an invitation to approximately 200 high school students from the tristate area to attend SCIP’s inaugural National "Owning Your Brilliance" High School STEM Conference and College Exposition at Microsoft Headquarters in Times Square. Concurrently one floor below, over 400 undergraduate, graduate and MBA students of SCIP's signature college program (C-SCIP) attended SCIP's inaugural National Business Leadership Conference and Career Exposition.

Nurturing the growth mindset, SCIP put forth a day of events for students to explore and engage with the business and STEM world. Embodying the STEM 2026 Vision developed by the U.S. Department of Education and American Institutes for Research, SCIP incorporated play, inclusiveness and lifelong education.

Project Pawn harnesses the influence of mentoring, mainstream media, education and pop culture along with the fundamentals of chess to reach our H-SCIP Young Leaders.

Lead sponsor Microsoft kicked off SCIP’s national debut with an invigorating presentation from one of their top executives who remained present throughout the conference to converse with students and serve as a mentor. To build student confidence and focus, founders of the organization Project Pawn, Chris Johnson and Abdul Sulaiman, Jr., gave students a lesson about how to apply the strategies of chess to achieve a purposeful life. Next up was Jen Slaw, an engineer turned entertainer, speaker and trainer, who taught students through juggling the flexibility, perseverance, patience and creative problem-solving needed in balancing work and life priorities.

Jen Slaw brings out the laughter, fun and out of the box thinking from students.

Major League Baseball's (MLB) Senior Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Strategic Alliances swung a home run, empowering students with special remarks and personal narrative, emphasizing that one’s current state of mind influences one’s future and that anything is possible. The SCIP Young Leaders felt energized and empowered, ready to dream big and achieve goals.

Students also met with SCIP Senior Leaders, corporate executives and college recruiters throughout the day – making the connection that they too could be the face of business and STEM despite obstacles they may face. Attending a sneak peak of the college programming one floor below, these bright young minds experienced a bird’s eye view of life as a SCIP College Student (C-SCIP). The result, naturally flowing peer mentorship and insight into the doors that may open for them as a SCIP Young Leader.

Alexander C. Bell with his students from Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High School enjoying the SCIP National STEM Conference at Microsoft Headquarters.

“Thanks to the Mancebos for giving my students the opportunity to experience discussions and activity with current established leaders in the corporate space. As an educator for more than three decades, kudos to Miguel and Monica Macnebo for inviting me and my students – and for their effort to empower youth toward their best potential for leadership and professionalism," shared Alexander C. Bell, a dedicated teacher at Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High School.

Schools represented in attendance: Bronx Envision Academy, Bronx High School of Science, Brooklyn Technical High School, Manhattan Bridges High School, New York Military Academy, Staten Island Technical High School and Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High School.

SCIP Young Leaders from the SCIP Club of Staten Island Technical High School during the SCIP National STEM Conference.

SCIP launched a successful pilot club within Staten Island Technical High School this fall and SCIP plans to integrate seven to 10 more throughout the metro area in 2017. Dr. Jared Jax expressed, "Our Career Development Center at Tech has been actively looking for opportunities for our students to further develop their professional skills and prepare for the business world. We have been able to see the positive impact on our students the past two summers and wanted to continue this into the school year by forming the SCIP club. We look forward to the collaboration with SCIP and hope to facilitate more events like the National Launch in November with our students in the future."

Students eagerly signed up for SCIP membership at the National Conference and showed off their SCIP pride.

Looking forward, SCIP celebrates its 20th anniversary on April 26, 2017 and will be awarding the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) Lifetime Membership and Medallion to 25 top performing students. Last, but not least SCIP offered membership for the first time at the National Conference so that students who attended the by-invite only event could continue their SCIP journey and pursue their goals with guidance and training.

As STEM Education Week comes to a close, remember to keep in mind the importance of diversity and STEM throughout the year and outside the classroom walls. To refer a student to the SCIP Executive Summer Leadership Program (selections will be made in the first quarter), support SCIP programming or to learn more, please visit www.SCIPLeaders.org.

C-SCIP Young Leaders at SCIP's inaugural National Business Summit and Career Exposition

ABOUT THE SELECTIVE CORPORATE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

The Selective Corporate Internship Program is a nonprofit organization in partnership with Fortune 500 Companies and various supporters, upholding the mission to “Enlighten, Employ and Empower” diverse underprivileged students for successful careers through corporate mentorship, leadership development and internship opportunities. As a result, SCIP Young Leaders hold a 92 percent success rate of attending their first choice college and impacts beyond the students to include their families and the communities they serve. Recognized as a National “Bright Spot” in Hispanic Education by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, SCIP represents the diversity and promise of the American Dream.

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