Innovation Academy Internship Elevates BSU Student Patrice Sterling’s Career Aspirations
Bluefield State University sophomore Patrice Sterling took full advantage of her intensive seven-week summer internship working with professional engineer. Sterling, a Kingston, Jamaica resident and Computer Science major, was one of only 104 students chosen from more than 2000 applicants to take part in the New Technologists Innovation Academy. She recently took a few moments to reflect upon her “takeaways” from the virtual academy, created through a partnership between Microsoft and Cyborg Mobile.
“As a New Technologist, I gained advanced understanding of the Software Engineering and Program Management aspects of the tech industry,” the BSU Honors Scholar noted. “I benefited from having direct access to the professional engineers at Microsoft.” Additionally, a corporate Vice President at Microsoft and a tech consulting company’s CEO are among those who have offered to be an advocate and sponsor for Patrice throughout her tech career.
She is confident her interaction with the other New Technologists will pay dividends in the years to come. “We agreed to maintain the connections we made during the Innovation Academy and help each other succeed in their next endeavor, whether it’s an internship, a full-time job, job interview, or our career pursuits.”
Through her involvement in the Innovation Academy internship, Sterling is being referred as a candidate for the Microsoft Explore Internship, which takes place next summer.
