The diverse community surrounding Sweetwater Union High School District in San Diego, California has seen a significant gap in the computer science opportunities available to its students. Of the 13 high schools, 11 middle schools, and 42,000 students, there wasn’t a single school offering CS courses. The stats only get worse when you look at the industry as a whole, with both men and women of color filling less than 10% across the board. NFINIT CEO Phil Kenney and longtime friend Art Lopez, who is currently the District TOSA (Teacher on Special Assignment) for Computer Science (CS) for the Sweetwater school district, decided that needs to change. This lead to the development of NFINIT’s first paid internship program that launched in June 2021.
NFINIT interviewed high school juniors and seniors for the program. After selecting 2 students, who have since graduated and are now attending San Diego State University, the team worked with those interns to figure out what a part-time (20-30 hour) schedule looks like and will continue to work with them as they transition to their university studies. The program curriculum started broad to introduce the different pieces involved in NFINIT’s business for the first two weeks as base training. Once that foundation was built, they were then given exposure to engineering teams to work individually with staff and get a deeper understanding.
“While serving customers and clients is the primary focus for NFINIT, that doesn’t exclude other areas of interest for us. There is major value in giving back to our community and we recognize that we have the ability to provide those experiences to students right in our own backyard”, says Kenney.
After providing interns with exposure to a broad view of IT-related career choices, the program allowed both students to choose one area of interest to focus on during their internship. One student worked on developing a “honeypot,” a controlled environment created to lure in cyber attacks as part of a data center’s constant check for any security weaknesses. The other intern chose to build a server that allows NFINIT to perform speed tests within their network. They also learned the ins and outs of managing a Network Operations Center (NOC), including the deployment of virtual servers, remote hands tasks, creation and resolution of customer trouble tickets, cable construction, fiber cabling, and more. Both interns learned skills critical for any company requiring help with core systems, operating center, and help desk services.
When asked about the program, Lopez highlights the significance of programs like this internship. “It’s hard to not understate the impact this program has had on these students. NFINIT helped to change the lives of these two young people for the better by giving them the opportunity to explore this company in the tech field.”
With the initial round of the program being so successful, NFINIT and Sweetwater have decided to work toward continuing the program. If everything goes according to plan, the second round of interns will start in June 2022 with the application process scheduled to start in April 2022.
For more information, visit www.nfinit.com and follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter.
