2020 SIIF Fellow Stories: Catherine Lucchesi & Code2College
By Catherine Lucchesi
Editors note: This blog shares the experience of one of our 2020 SIIF Fellows in their impact internship. The Social Impact Internship Fund (SIIF) at McCombs supports MBAs who secure summer internships focused on social or environmental impact with organizations that otherwise would not be able to afford MBA salaries. The SIIF was established in 2016 through the joint efforts of Graduate Business Council and Net Impact. This award is entirely student-run and is made possible by donations from the McCombs community – students, faculty, staff, and alumni. To donate, click here.
I spent my summer at Code2College, a multi-year, career prep and college access program that leverages volunteer technical talent to teach coding and web development skills to traditionally underrepresented students in order to push them to and through college, and into STEM careers. Think 25 coders from companies like Google and Facebook teaching high school students the basics of Java, while corporate recruiters review the students resumes and give career support. The organization served 500 students last year and is focused on expanding to Philadelphia. The nonprofit is in growth mode and I was honored to be a part of the team during a vital time.
From day one, it was a whirlwind. After COVID hit in March, the organization quickly shifted to serve their students, providing remote programming and developing an online summer boot camp. I worked with the Executive Director and Chief of Staff on multiple consulting projects as well as day to day needs. One of my favorite projects I worked on was creating a talent onboarding model for Code2College. I did primary research, interviewing national nonprofit leaders to learn best practices which I then developed into a practical onboarding plan. The organization’s emphasis on team building, increasing opportunities for employees and ensuring new-hire’s long-term success gave me a window into how social impact leaders can face staffing challenges.
I learned so much for the team and was so inspired day to day by their dedication to their mission. From observing the tight team tackle huge challenges, I developed my own management skills. As my first foray into remote work I was challenged to ramp up quickly and effectively and was expected to be an integral part of the team during my internship. When you are working to change student’s lives and outcomes, you have to dive in. I was given the opportunity to develop a model for reporting corporate investment in diversity in STEM, which the organization will be able to use year over year to track impact and ROI. I also played a small part in developing a new podcast, featuring Black and Latinx women in STEM careers. My experience reminded me again why I want to work in social impact, with the most dedicated talent around.
