2023 Tjuana Byrd Summer Internship Program

Our Internship Partners and Sponsors

About the Tjuana Byrd Summer Internship Program

The Women’s Foundation of Arkansas is proud to launch the third annual 2023 Tjuana Byrd Summer Internship Program, named after the Foundation’s first Black president. In partnership with several companies located in Arkansas, we will be offering a 10-week summer internship program for women of color attending college in Arkansas and pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (finance & related majors included). Thanks to the companies’ commitment to equity and generosity, the internship will pay $15-20 an hour*, provide free housing for the duration of the program, access to mentorship and networking events, and professional development workshops. Company executives have also agreed to participate in diversity, equity and inclusion training provided by the WFA prior to the program. Our internship program is intentionally designed to increase access to and representation in these fields for women of color in our state by eliminating barriers of cost, social capital, and location. 

*dependent on company placement

Applications for our 2023 Tjuana Byrd Summer Internship closed on January 27, 2023.

General Internship Details

• Each company will host interns and pay $15-20 an hour, depending on company
• 4 bedroom apartments will be provided by WFA for each company’s intern cohort for the duration of the program
• Weekly networking events will be hosted by partner companies & other community sponsors
• WFA will provide professional development workshops prior to and during the internship program
• Interns will receive the opportunity to present to each company at the end of the program
• The 10-week program will run from approximately June 2, 2023 – August 11, 2023

Internship Eligibility

Students eligible to apply will:

• Identify as a woman
• Be a person of color and/or of a minority race or ethnicity
• Pursuing a 2-year or 4-year degree in the fields of science, technology, engineering, & math (finance & related majors included)
  • Information on relevant majors per company & department is below
• Attending university in the state of Arkansas
• A rising junior, senior, or recent graduate (no sooner than May 2023)

Internship Application

Before applying, please read the company information to learn more about which companies would be the best fit for your skills, education, and career goals. 

For the application you will need:

• A copy of your resume
• Unofficial transcripts from all universities where you have completed coursework
• Two recommendations (preferably from someone familiar with you in an academic setting & another from someone familiar with you in a professional setting)

Specific Company Information

Find more information about each specific company and internship below. The available internship positions are highlighted in yellow.

Available Internship Positions at SPP

Market Monitoring– This market monitoring intern is expected to be competent with the administrative and communication tools for word processing, spread sheet development, time keeping, etc.  The intern is expected to develop fundamental understanding of electricity markets and gain knowledge of software (SAS, SQL, Tableau) associated with area of responsibility. As directed by a lead market monitor or manager, the intern should be prepared to enthusiastically complete specific assignments including market power studies, behavior of specific power plants, potential market rule changes, and financial analysis of market performance on a daily, monthly, and quarterly basis.

Preferred Major/Minor: Economics, Math, Computer Science or Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Industrial or Computer)

Accreditation: Required for engineering majors (ABET)

Operations Support– This Engineer Intern is expected to be competent with the administrative and communication tools for word processing, spread sheet development, time keeping, etc.  The incumbent is expected to develop fundamental understanding of transmission system concept and gain knowledge of software associated with area of responsibility. As directed by the lead engineer or supervisor, the Engineer Intern should be prepared to enthusiastically complete specific assignments directed by ad hoc stakeholder/committees, transmission planning services, tariff studies or network modeling and engineering data coordination efforts.

Preferred Major/Minor: Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Industrial or Computer) , Math, or Data Analytics

Accreditation: Required for engineering majors (ABET)

System Planning– This Engineer Intern is expected to be competent with the administrative and communication tools for word processing, spread sheet development, time keeping, etc.  The incumbent is expected to develop fundamental understanding of transmission system concept and gain knowledge of software associated with area of responsibility. As directed by the lead engineer or supervisor, the Engineer Intern should be prepared to enthusiastically complete specific assignments directed by ad hoc stakeholder/committees, transmission planning services, tariff studies or network modeling and engineering data coordination efforts.

Preferred Major/Minor: Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Industrial or Computer) or Data Science

Accreditation: Required for engineering majors (ABET)

Seams & Tariff Services– The IT Intern is expected to be competent with the administrative and communication tools for word processing, spread sheet development, time keeping, etc.  The incumbent is expected to develop fundamental understanding of SPP’s IT systems concepts and gain knowledge of software associated with area of responsibility. As directed by the IT lead or supervisor, the IT Intern should be prepared to enthusiastically complete specific assignments directed by ad hoc stakeholder/committees, settlements systems, data services, reliability systems, markets services, and IT support efforts.

Preferred Major/Minor: Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, Industrial or Computer) or Data Science

Accreditation: Required for engineering majors (ABET)

Settlement Intern– The Settlement Intern is responsible for support of market and/or transmission settlements, or other entry-level tasks as needed.  The Settlement Intern provides support for the settlement staff, Supervisor of Settlements, Manager of Settlements, and Director of Settlements as necessary. 

Preferred Major/Minor:

Accreditation: Required for engineering majors (ABET)

Available Internship Positions at Central Arkansas Water

Engineering – the intern will have a utility orientation and become familiar with the work of the engineering department and processes by visiting construction sites with one or more of our engineers or engineering technicians. CAW is looking for an individual who is an engineering major (civil, mechanical and agricultural disciplines are preferred.) The individual should be CAD literate (AutoCAD preferred) and computer software literate (Microsoft Office preferred.) The intern should be capable of working in an office setting, working in a printing room (handling paper, small and large documents) and working in the field performing construction inspection (traversing rough ground, heat and cold, wet and dry weather) Working hours are typically M-F 8-4:30.

Preferred Major/Minor: Engineering (Civil, Mechanical, Agricultural)

Accreditation: Not Required

GIS/IT – The ideal candidate for GIS/IT intern can expect exposure to a wide range of Information Technology and Geographic Information System experiences. IT duties and responsibilities include technical troubleshooting, database management, cyber security, programming, analytics, network communication, and security, maintaining hardware, software, and other systems. GIS duties might include creating paper maps, digital mapping applications, editing and analyzing existing GIS datasets (shapefiles, geodatabases, & relational databases), and working with and/or collecting GNSS data. Candidates should be pursuing a degree in data science, business analytics, computer science, information systems, geography, GIS, environmental science, or any other related field.

Preferred Major/Minor: Data Science, Business Analytics, Computer Science, Information Systems, Geography, Environmental Science

Accreditation: Not Required

Sustainability and Watershed – The CAW Sustainability Intern will assist with Greenhouse Gas Emission reporting, Climate Action Plan, and Solar projects.  A background in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering or similar field of study is required along with data analysis proficiency in Excel spreadsheets.

Preferred Major/Minor: Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering

Accreditation: Not Required

Water Production –The intern will have exposure to: the history of water introduction, Public Health as it relates to drinking water and introduction to surface water, and visit Lake Maumelle pump station, be exposed to the water treatment process, chemicals used, water quality indicators and operational guidelines, forecasting demand and operators’ lab testing. The intern will assist Facility Operators with treatment, perform lab analyses and other treatment operational tasks with an emphasis on understanding process fundamentals, with pilot plant Introduction and analytical laboratory, instrumentation, analytical methods, LIMS, etc. Introduction to system operation to provide an understanding of pressure, flow, volume (relate to demand) and balancing these while maintaining water quality through adequate tank cycling. Basic overview of regulations, accompany field lab techs for routine regulatory sampling. Students should be pursuing a scientific or engineering major.

Preferred Major/Minor: Environmental or Physical Science, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Biology, Microbiology, Environmental Health

Accreditation: Not Required

Available Internship Positions at CDI Contractors

2 Available Internship Positions that will do a combination of: 

Assistant Project Engineer Responsibilities: 

Assist Project Engineer with the follow: 

• Subcontractor Management (as it relates to submittal and material procurement)
• Submittal review and approvals 
• RFI development  
• Maintain Project Record Documents 
• Process Pay applications  
• Assist with Change Order pricing 
• Support of safety plan 

Assistant Field Engineer Responsibilities: 

Assist Field Engineer with the following: 

• Subcontractor Management (as if relates to installation) 
• Submittal review skills  
• RFI development  
• Layout / surveying  
• Daily reports  
• Quality control 
• Support of safety plan 

Assistant Estimator Responsibilities: 

Assist Estimator with the following: 

• Subcontractor solicitation 
• Project document review skills  
• Takeoff 
• Bid pricing management

Available Internship Position at L’oreal

L’Oréal Operations The L’Oréal USA Summer Internship Program is a paid, 11 week experience where you will be fully integrated into the day-to-day activities of a team while also leading your own, individual strategic project to discover what it is truly like to develop a career at the #1 Beauty Tech company in the world. We are committed to giving our interns the space to explore, to have full time employee responsibilities, present their own insights to senior management, and to become future leaders. At the end of the summer you will present your project to senior leadership for the opportunity to be considered for a full-time return offer into a Management Trainee program or a full-time role.

Preferred Major/Minor: Chemical, Electrical, Industrial or Mechanical Engineering

Accreditation: Required

Available Internship Positions at Garver

Communication Intern– Garver’s in-house Communications Team is looking for a Communications Intern to work in the downtown Little Rock office to assist in the writing, development, and editing of content for internal and external audiences. Other duties include assisting with special projects, as needed.

Preferred Major/Minor: Communications, Journalism, Writing, Marketing, or a similar major

Accreditation: Required

Aviation Civil Engineering Intern– Work alongside and be mentored by experienced aviation design professionals and industry leaders. Receive training from senior engineers in various elements of airfield pavement design, pavement maintenance, airport lighting, and construction oversight for general aviation and commercial service airports. Visit Garver’s Aviation project sites, such as airport hangars, taxiways, and runways. Gain experience in the competitive consulting engineering industry by assisting with project administration, submitting proposals, and grant applications.

Preferred Major/Minor: Civil Engineering (rising senior)

Accreditation: Required

Available Internship Positions at Windstream

Cybersecurity and Programming– As a Cybersecurity/Programming Intern with Windstream, you will work with business stakeholders who own and support IT infrastructure, applications, process, and operations.  You will receive practical corporate business experience while interacting with professionals at all levels of the company and gain an outlook on future career opportunities.  This internship will provide you the experience of working in a collaborative team environment as well as providing you with job responsibilities that mirror those given to first-year professionals. 

Preferred Major/Minor: Information Technology and Information Systems, Computer Science, Systems & Network Administration, Engineering (Software and Computer), Cybersecurity, Data analytics, Computer Networking

Accreditation:

Kinetic Marketing Intern – The Kinetic Marketing Intern will be part of the Kinetic Marketing Strategy team. They will help ensure that we are moving the Kinetic by Windstream and Kinetic Business brands forward in the communities we serve. They will have the opportunity to learn a wide array of both hard technical skills and soft people skills. While assisting with a wide range of projects, they will gain experience and training in many aspects of Internal Communications, CMS (content management system), video producing and editing, video podcast production, graphic design, researching and writing, etc.

Preferred Major/Minor:

Accreditation:

Duties and Responsibilities

• Partner with marketing strategy team to execute tasks related to developing our overall marketing messaging
  • Learning about very technical product offerings and presenting to internal and external audiences in a way that they can understand
  • Understand the marketing process from end-to-end
• Assist with video producing
  • Writing/scripting, and assisting on video shoots
  • Video podcast production. Includes:
    • Day of recording/streaming
    • Guest research and recruitment
    • Prepping show outline
    • Etc.
• Internal Communications Work
  • Write first drafts of internal communications from information given from stakeholders
  • Create/source supporting graphics, pis, and videos
  • Learn intranet CMS to post communications, update site/pages, etc.
  • Understand and update editorial calendar
  • Reaching out to various Kinetic organizations to encourage internal updates on current projects, etc.

Kinetic Pricing Intern– The Kinetic Pricing Intern will be part of the Kinetic Pricing team and help ensure that we deliver rate plans into the marketplace that balance profitability with sales volumes while
simplifying our product offering.  The right candidate will have the opportunity to experience both sides of our internal decision process including data analytics blended with marketing strategy. While assisting on a wide range of projects, the right candidate will gain experience and training in both Consumer and Business marketing pricing strategies across each of our sales channels.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Partner with managers responsible for price plan development to support our consumer and business segments in business case development and executive approval presentations
• Shadow managers responsible for the go-to-market execution of approved strategic initiative providing an opportunity to take a concept from a business case to in market execution to post launch review of results
• Develop a presentation outlying observations from the internship program and develop recommendations regarding simplification of our product pricing strategy

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Knowledge of quantitative data analysis
• Knowledge of financial modeling and comparative analysis
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and workflow
• Proficient in Excel and accounting systems
• Strong written, verbal, and organizational skills

Finance and Procurement Intern– As a Finance/Procurement Intern with Windstream, you will work with business stakeholders as well as the sourcing team, the finance team, and suppliers among others to improve existing business processes to optimize Windstream’s performance.  You will receive practical corporate business experience while interacting with professionals at all levels of the company and gain an outlook on future career opportunities.  This internship will provide you the experience of working in a collaborative team environment as well as providing you with job responsibilities that mirror those given to first-year professionals. 

Preferred Major/Minor: Finance and Accounting

Accreditation: Preferred

Duties and Responsibilities

• Evaluate, analyze, and enhance operations processes to optimize process efficiency, reduce processing time, and mitigate risks.
• Access and manipulate large amounts of data into meaningful spend analyses on an as needed basis
• Develop ad-hoc spend analysis and accurately assess material cost drivers
• Troubleshoot and solve for the causes of inconsistencies in contract related metadata
• Other projects as assigned.

Interns will work with the Arvest Central Arkansas team covering Central, Northeast, and Southwest Arkansas.  These interns will shadow and partner with all groups within the local community bank to include retail bank operations, small business and commercial lending,

The Arvest intern experience will include the opportunity for hands-on assignments in your field of study, a group project you’ll complete with other interns focusing on a real-time Arvest business issue, professional and leadership development activities, as well as social and community events.

Business Development Intern:

Preferred Major/Minor:

Accreditation:

Duties and Responsibilities

• Work on projects within discipline and communicate findings to subject matter experts through project status reports, presentations, and documentation.
• Use data and judgement to analyze improvement opportunities and the potential impact on business processes.
• Meet with subject matter experts to understand industry environment.

Skills

• Hands on experience in chosen field.
• Gain an understanding of the Financial Industry.
• Collaborate with a variety of associates from across the company.
• Support implementation of new systems, policies and procedures.

Retail/Backoffice Support Intern:

Preferred Major/Minor:

Accreditation:

Duties and Responsibilities

• Work on projects within discipline and communicate findings to subject matter experts through project status reports, presentations, and documentation.
• Use data and judgement to analyze improvement opportunities and the potential impact on business processes.
• Meet with subject matter experts to understand industry environment.

Skills

• Hands on experience in chosen field.
• Gain an understanding of the Financial Industry.
• Collaborate with a variety of associates from across the company.
• Support implementation of new systems, policies and procedures.

If you have additional questions, please contact Maddie Spickard at mspickard@womensfoundationarkansas.org or Kris Smith at ksmith@womensfoundationarkansas.org.