Edlyft’s Intern Development Program Alumni Land Internships at Top Companies

Edlyft is proud to extend warm congratulations to the alums of its Intern Development Program, a product of partnerships with Airbnb, Dropbox, and Coinbase in 2022. After completing the semester-long mentorship program, these amazing students have reported feeling greater confidence in their computer science skills and career goals. Plus, several have landed internships at top tech companies like Amazon and Microsoft.

A 2021 Pew Research study reported that although Latino workers make up 17% of the total U.S. workforce, they hold only 8% of tech jobs. Similarly, Black workers, who make up 11% of the total workforce, represent only 7% of workers in tech. And women, who make up roughly half of the U.S. workforce, hold only 25% of tech jobs. 

Last year, Edlyft partnered with Airbnb, Dropbox, and Coinbase to help address these disparities — providing budding computer science students from underrepresented groups with support, resources, and mentorship.

Through the Intern Development Program, select college students were each paired with an engineer at Airbnb, Dropbox, or Coinbase to serve as a career mentor (“Eng Buddy”). Over the course of two quarters, students participated in monthly meetings with their mentors. They received academic support, career advice, resume feedback, and an insider’s look at the day-to-day life of an engineer at a large tech company. 

“I had a great mentee who absorbed every piece of information that we discussed in our sessions,” said Amanda Crawford, a data engineer at Dropbox. “I'm glad to have been a part of a program that allowed me to help another young Black woman pursue a career in tech.” Here is a more in-depth look at Edlyft’s partnership with Dropbox.

Students also had the opportunity to prepare for and participate in mock technical interviews conducted by their Eng Buddies, just in time for fall internship application season. The technical interview is a notoriously difficult part of the tech job search and is often a huge barrier for students who don’t have the right resources or support.  

At the time of Edlyft’s post-program survey, almost 70% of alumni respondents had received at least one interview for a summer internship. 80% of those who interviewed received offers at major companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Walmart Global Tech, Capital Group, and Gusto.

"[My Eng Buddy] Tanya really helped me a lot not only with navigating the tech recruitment process, but also to sharpen my CS problem-solving skills,” said program alum Jose Octavio Molina Nava. “With my sharpened skills, I was able to secure an internship at Amazon in Seattle for the summer of 2023.” 

After completing the program, students also reported feeling generally more confident in their computer science capabilities and career goals. The majority of students reported feeling increased confidence in their ability to pass a technical interview and to use their skills to land tech internships. Most students also reported an increased sense of surety that a career in the tech industry is right for them.

“I've learned that coding interviews aren't as scary as I thought they were,” said program alum Sofia Silva. “My mentor believed in me and that was enough to help me do better.”

Due to the success of the program and the accomplishments of its amazing alumni, Edlyft will be offering the Intern Development Program again starting next month, with new partners added: Tinder and LinkedIn, students can apply to the 2023 Intern Development Program here and learn more here.  

Are you part of a company looking to grow your pipeline of highly-qualified, underrepresented talent or engage your top engineers in developing coaching skills? Partner with Edlyft.

‍About Edlyft‍

‍Edlyft helps college students crush their computer science coursework and start seeing themselves in the field. A Black-women-led startup backed by Y-Combinator, Kleiner Perkins, and Kapor Capital, Edlyft provides students across the country with resources, workshops, interview prep, and mentorship opportunities to help close the gap for students looking to enter the tech field.