Emerging Leaders Results
Emerging Leaders is the largest internship in Oregon. Click here to see a snapshot of our 2019 impact and learn more about our goals for 2020!
The Results
The year at a glance—2019 Emerging Leaders Accomplishments:
● The candidates for ELI 2019 were drawn from a pool of 976 applications, as compared to 876 in 2018 and 609 in 2017
● 120 Emerging Leaders of color were selected to complete paid summer internships within the Portland Metro area
● We engaged 76 company partners as intern host companies, compared to 52 in 2018
● In partnership with Prosper Portland, Emerging Leaders provided the inaugural Small Business Internship grant, providing financial support to 8 local small businesses to host an Emerging Leaders intern for the summer of 2019
● 2 of these small businesses hired their Emerging Leader intern full-time by the end of the internship
● We offered 8 professional development & networking event opportunities over the summer for our Emerging Leaders to build community and increase their skill-building in a range of topics from navigating workplace culture to perfecting elevator pitches
● We have successfully matched 100 mentees with mentors in our mentoring program targeted to support individuals who are specifically looking to pursue careers in Portland’s tech industry and healthcare industry
● Of the 2019 Emerging Leaders Interns, at least 21 were hired into full-time paid staff positions within their respective companies, while others secured paid part-time positions at their host company or had their internship extended beyond the summer
2019 Key Learnings:
● The 2019 Emerging Leaders cohort is most interested in professional development events that focus on networking (90%), navigating the workplace (83%) and building their self-confidence (77%).
● Emerging Leaders greatly value having mentors that can support them in reaching their goals and help them navigate workplace culture.
● As this was our first year making company mentorship a requirement for all participating companies, we have learned that companies and interns would benefit from the Emerging Leaders team providing more guidance on what ELI mentorship looks like.
Who We Are Serving:
• 100% students of color.
• 90% of Emerging Leaders Internship applicants believe that as a racial minority, there will be value in the support of an ELI internship that values bringing their unique voice to the workplace.
• 59% of Emerging Leaders Internship applicants don’t know anyone in their field of interest and are looking for mentors to help them navigate.
• 45% of Emerging Leaders Internship applicants will be the first in their family to graduate from college and don’t have much knowledge of how to network to get into their field.
• 51% of our Emerging Leaders Internship applicants have never had an internship experience before.
• 62% of Emerging Leaders Internship applicants are first-generation college students.
• May increase retention rates by exposing interns to the field and becoming part of a community.
• 54% of Emerging Leaders Internship applicants qualify for a Pell Grant or Oregon Opportunity Grant.
Learn More About Emerging Leaders
We’re cultivating leadership that’s talented, driven, and diverse across Portland. Our city’s economic and cultural future depends on it.
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