Supporting STEM Careers: The 2023 Louisiana HBCU Internship

Published:   January 09, 2024

At Cornerstone Chemical Company, LLC, we are excited about forging local collaborations that drive innovation and empower the next generation.

This summer, we were thrilled to join forces with the Louisiana HBCU Innovation Internship program, an initiative by Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.).

Through this fruitful partnership, we had the unique opportunity to welcome three interns into our Cornerstone family.

The Louisiana HBCU Innovation Internship

Collaboratively designed with esteemed institutions like Xavier, Dillard, and SUNO, the HBCU Innovation Internship provides more than work experience — it's a stepping stone to entrepreneurship.

Through the program, 12 handpicked juniors and seniors from partnering HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities) in Louisiana get the opportunity to work closely with local STEM-focused companies, acquiring firsthand experience beyond the classroom.

A paid initiative, the HBCU internship program has three core areas of focus:

• Train the next generation of successful entrepreneurs of color
• Inspire students to become innovative change-makers
• Increase the number of regional startup firms in Louisiana

During the course of the HBCU internship, participants develop creative capacity and entrepreneurial confidence, while gaining helpful skills to build scalable startups that solve real-world problems.

HBCU Interns in Action

After a thorough matching process, three interns joined our site team and completed 30 hours of work per week from May 30 to July 21, 2023.

Over these two months, two of our interns, Kylan Steele and Anaia Gilmore, worked in the medical department to get a better understanding of occupational nursing and assist our plant nurses with daily routines. They observed as our nurse practitioners completed OSHA-mandated physicals for all Cornerstone employees while supporting them with vision and hearing tests and EKGs (echocardiograms). 

Both Kylan and Anaia gained hands-on experience through:

• getting practical experience working with medical professionals in a medical setting.
• helping schedule physicals and running the schedule when a provider was in the clinic.
• assisting with planning and organizing wellness events.
• supporting our nurses in obtaining employees' vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, height,   and weight).
• touring the operating areas to get a glimpse at the different jobs that our employees perform.

We also had the pleasure of working with Nayah Thomas, our Strategic Engagement and Communication Intern. As a bachelor's degree candidate currently studying child psychology, women's studies, and African-American studies, Nayah gained real-world experience during her internship, including: 

• creating social media posts, including holiday graphics and message crafting.
• assisting in biannual newsletter publication.
• creating designs for the Saints Fan Guide and LSU Fan Guide.
• video production for “2023 Intern Spotlight,” “Community Clean Up Day,” and the “2023 Cornerstone Scholarship Banquet.”
• conducting filmed interviews for the Cornerstone employee “People Power” project.

Upon graduating from Xavier, Nayah plans to study law.  

Following the completion of the program, our 2023 HBCU Innovation interns were recognized for their hard work at the GNO Inc. Internship closing ceremony.

Cornerstone is honored to have been part of this journey for our Louisiana students in the HBCU internship program. Their drive, coupled with the opportunity offered by GNO, Inc., is undoubtedly setting the stage for a brighter, more innovative future.

We look forward to seeing the monumental changes these aspiring leaders bring to our Pelican State.

Explore Our STEM Careers & Professional Development Opportunities

Cornerstone Chemical Company, LLC supports career development and advancement across Louisiana. Whether you are interested in our internship offerings or our STEM careers and scholarship initiatives, we invite you to contact us to start a conversation.

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