This year we held the first Summer Internship Program at OneCalifornia Foundation, of which I was lucky enough to be a part. I came to the Foundation last March as an intern to assist with the marketing of our Oakland Unwrapped! Online Marketplace. I graduated from UC Berkeley in May and decided to stick around for the summer to assist with the internship program, and participate as an intern as well.

I haven’t got enough space here to go address everything that I’ve taken away from the program. The most unique part of this internship was the focus on the enrichment of the interns, specifically the inclusion of a curriculum on banking and socially responsible business. Over the course of six weeks we heard lectures on everything from retail banking to investing to B corporations. We pulled presenters from OneCalifornia Bank and other socially responsible organizations like RSF Social Finance, Give Something Back, Renewable Funding, Green Retirement Plans, and more. With each of the interns in the program working on separate projects, the courses on banking were a great way to acquaint everyone with how a bank is run and the different jobs that need to be done. The socially responsible business component was what really struck me, as there was no class I took as an undergrad to show me that I could, and more importantly, that I should look for a career where I can do good just by showing up to work every day. The bottom line—the business world is changing; there will be more and more companies with socially responsible missions that give more back to the environment and the community. You don’t need to volunteer or work at a non-profit to make a difference, and you can still make a living doing it.

We were lucky enough to have six awesome interns, all Economics majors, from UC Berkeley, Stanford, and Northwestern, and while I could wax on about what made this internship so great, I think I will leave some room for you to hear from everyone else… (more…)