On Wednesday, September 28th, an informational session about HACU’s (Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities) internships took place in the Student Life office. Alicia Velazquez, junior majoring in accounting, was present, along with Jodi Martin, Assistant Director of Career Services.
During Velazquez’s sophomore year, she applied to the HACU National Internship Program (HNIP). After a couple of interviews, she was awarded a summer internship at Deloitte, along with a scholarship. Velazquez describes her internship as a life changing experience.
“Working with Deloitte, I met a lot of good contacts that I’ve kept in touch with, especially alumni that went to school here. They gave me advice about classes and different ideas that I should do to prepare myself better for after college,” said Velazquez.
The internships offered are with the federal government or corporate sector in Washington, D.C. or other major cities. All internships are paid and are available year-round for spring, summer, and fall. In addition, round trip costs are covered by HACU and, if in another state, one may make arrangements for housing with HACU.
Velazquez encourages students to do an internship before graduating from college. “It is very important to put yourself out there. Apply to whatever you think you [may] be interested in and you [will] be surprised with what can happen,” said Velazquez.
Another SXU student who applied to HACU is Fabian Magallanes and interned over the summer at National Science Foundation (NSF) in Washington, DC. Magallanes was matched to the NSF through his HACU application.
During his internship, Magallanes’ did research, presentations and final reports at NSF. “All the tools that we created are being used today . . . I was a data analyst and part of the data group, we were in charge of receiving all these proposals and creating tools to classify the proposals. That way it’s easier for program directors to see which ideas or companies should be funded,” said Magallanes in an interview with the Xavierite.
Magallanes added that he feels more confident graduating from college after doing this internship. He also stated that, because of his internship, he wants to pursue a Master’s degree in Data Analytics. “It looks good on your resume, I recently had an interview with Google and that was something that they looked at a lot. It has opened a lot of doors for me.”
Magallanes encouraged other students to apply to HACU. “Don’t be afraid, take the risk . . . you have to keep trying, I would recommend going to Career Services and having mock interviews to practice. It’s an easy program, you are away the whole summer but you are in a different city. You get a feel of what it is to be an adult and be on your own. You make a lot friends . . . Your paycheck covers for your rent and transportation. [The internship] is awesome,” concluded Magallanes.
Assistant director of career services, Jodi Martin, also encouraged the students to apply to HACU and to gain experience through internships. “Definitely apply for these opportunities with HACU. If [students] have any questions, they can work with Career Services so we can prep them with the application process or help them with their resume or walking them through it. These are great opportunities that not every student can apply for, so those who can, should,” said Martin.
To learn more about HACU or their scholarships, internships and other programs you may visit their website by clicking here.
Miryam Villarreal
Senior News Editor