Daniel Uribe, Lead Field Technician at Plano, Texas based Asociar, LLC credits the inaugural Capital One Bank’s “Future Ready Lab” internship experience for building his confidence and knowledge as he strives toward his educational and career goals. The program is designed to not only provide educational opportunities to participants, but also to highlight the value of meaningful high school internships for youths.
Uribe recently spoke at the NAF Next 2019 summit where he was named the 2019 NAF Alumni Award Winner. NAF (formerly the National Academy Foundation) advocates for improving education and development of the next generation of future ready employees in the United States through leadership, guidance and support programs, including paid internships.
Daniel Uribe, a graduate of Justin F. Kimball High School Academy of Engineering in Dallas, TX, participated in the NAF High School Intern Program powered by Capital One Bank.
The program worked with 20 high schoolers and divided them into four five-person teams charged to develop a stand-alone technology event for technology week. Students were required to design the event including workshops, agenda, floorplans, press releases, presentations, budget and more. Each team was mentored by Capital One associates as part of the “Future Ready Lab” program. Uribe’s team with its “What’s in Your Garage?” presentation was the winning team. The team highlighted the hi-tech world of driverless assisted cars being developed by Telsa, BMW, Mercedes and General Motors.
“The internship at Capital One’s Future Ready Lab not only taught me how to build out a major event for their tech week, said Uribe, “it also reinforced something that I learned at home and school: It’s really valuable to listen to others, especially people who are really different from you. No one has all the answers. Complex problems and important issues are solved by teams made up of very different players.”
Uribe’s advisors in high school encouraged him to participate in the internship program. It has paid off for him in a big way. He has a full-time job as lead field technician with Argent Associates, a wireless technology firm designing, engineering, installing and testing technologies that are transforming network connectivity, public safety and supply chains. He is currently attending El Centro Community College . Once he completes his Associate Science degree, he looks forward to attending the University of Texas in Arlington to obtain his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering.
“I think it’s critical for businesses to get involved in building out skills for the 21st century, said Monica Shortino, Senior Manager, Social Innovation at Capital One and moderator for the presentations. “Here at Capital One, we are incredibly committed to diversity in our workplace. We are looking for people who can work on a team and deliver first-class products, and that’s what we are asking of the interns.”
Partners in the overall push for meaningful paid internship experiences included NAF, Capital One Bank, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USHCCF) and the University of Texas Arlington.
“USHCCF and its University Partnerships initiative focuses on building a College-to-Career pipeline between Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) and corporate/industry leaders through education, access, and viable internships leading to future employment,” said Michele Bobadilla, Michele Bobadilla, UT Arlington University Crossroads P-16 and USHCCF University Partnerships.
USHCCF was instrumental in working with Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to inspire the 60x30TX Strategic Higher Education Plan with a portion targeted to building existing and new internship programs to create marketable skills for the workforce of the future. The UT Arlington University Crossroads P16 Council collaborates with more than 90 community partners working to prepare students in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties for college and career success.
“UT Arlington and Capital One are doing great work for our young talent,” said Betty Manetta, CEO of Argent Associates, where Uribe is employed. “I am so proud of Daniel. He’s a great technician and we are honored to have him as part of our team.”
Uribe, a young husband and father, has taken his learning experience to new heights as he transverses school and his full-time job. He is at the forefront of new and expanding technology connectivity, installation and testing. He is pleased to have mentors, teachers and an employer who value his worth and encourage his dreams. And, he values the support and inspiration from his family.
For further information on working to develop a meaningful internship program reach out to NAF, USHCCF or Capital One Bank.