Internship and Mentorship Components Boost the Impact of Scholarships

Scholarships are a vital way for companies to build their talent pipeline—and these Scholarship America partners are going the extra mile by incorporating paid internships, mentoring and/or career opportunities into their programs!

PepsiCo S.M.I.L.E Scholarship

The PepsiCo S.M.I.L.E scholarship is open to Black and Hispanic students at community colleges who plan to transfer to four-year schools. These are the future members of a more diverse workforce, but only about 1 in 6 community college enrollees ends up successfully pursuing this path to a bachelor’s degree. Award winners receive $25,000 per year in tuition for two years (a total of $50,000) at a four-year school, plus professional mentoring from a PepsiCo associate.

PepsiCo S.M.I.L.E Scholar Pamela Morales recently joined the company in a full-time role, and said: “As a PepsiCo Foundation S.M.I.L.E. scholar turned intern, I am so honored to receive the opportunity to join the team as a full time associate. PepsiCo’s educational and professional support has propelled me to new heights that, years ago, I didn’t think I could reach. It’s very encouraging to work for a company that really cares about their people, and for that, I’m forever grateful!”

Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship

Amazon’s Future Engineer Scholarship gives recipients hands-on experience from the start. This “a comprehensive childhood-to-career program aimed at increasing access to computer science education for students from underserved and underrepresented communities” provides paid internship opportunities at Amazon for undergraduates, in addition to renewable scholarships totaling up to $40,000 over four years.

2020 Future Engineer recipient Shamari Walker said: “I discovered my passion for CS when I learned that it could serve as a way to let my creativity flow and help make people’s lives easier. During the summer of 2020 I interned for Amazon as an Amazon Future Engineer and one thing I enjoyed the most about the AFE program was the sense of community it provided. Being an intern at a major tech company like Amazon after your freshman year of college can seem daunting but when you have a community of those similar to you, it helps make your experience 10X better.”

And that’s just the beginning …

• The Sierra Nevada Corporation’s SNC Women in STEM Scholarship matches each $7,500 scholarship recipient with a mentor in their field.
• The LPA Design Studios Interdisciplinary Diversity Scholarship offers both internship and mentorship opportunities along with its $5,000 awards, tailoring each experience to students’ area of interest.
• The SoCal Gas Intern Scholarship Program and Express, Inc’s EXPR Internship Scholarship both couple generous scholarship awards with internship opportunities.
• The SMART Scholarship for Service guarantees recipients the opportunity for a civilian job with the U.S. Department of Defense after graduation.

If you’re looking to boost the impact of your company’s scholarship on your HR and talent initiatives—or if you’re a student searching for more than just a check—these programs are a model of how to do more. Contact Scholarship America to learn how you can join the movement!