Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars performing on stage

Given the economy’s sluggish march to recovery, college students could improve their chances of employment after graduation by gaining real-world experiences through internship programs.

So here’s a reminder for the youth of today: You are not too young to build business networks — and a good place to start is college internship programs.

That’s the word from Nichol Whiteman, associate vice president of the Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF), a New York-based non-profit organization that keeps an office in Los Angeles and has a mission of “serving as an advocate for young people with the greatest need” by providing four-year scholarships for higher education to minority youths.

Whiteman also encourages students to think of internship programs as exploratory opportunities in these challenging times. Whiteman recalls her own college internships as experiences that made her more valuable to employers.

Under Whiteman’s leadership, JRF most recently hosted the 4th annual ‘Jazz on the Grass’ fundraiser concert on October 3rd. The event brought more than 600 supporters to the private estate of noted director and producer Oz Scott and his wife, Lynne, in the Sherman Oaks district of Los Angeles. The fundraiser benefited the foundation’s 36-year-old college scholarship fund, along with mentoring and leadership programs intended to offer support for aspiring college students of color.

Whiteman is a Brooklyn, New York, native whose parents hail from the Caribbean island of Jamaica. She says she intended to major in something with a business focus while attending Spellman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Whiteman speaks from experience when discussing the JRF’s mission — she went through college on a scholarship from the Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF). She majored in economics with a minor in business management and organization, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1998.

“My mom has always been involved in some aspect of business, so a business major came natural,” said Whiteman. “I admired my mom’s ability to work and take care of her four children.”

Today, Whiteman has successfully applied the skills developed in her early career to the very different professional environment of a non-profit organization. And a new generation of college students are following her path with the JRF and efforts to take internships as a valuable opportunity to expand personal networks.

“Networking helped me to expand my contact list and potential job base,” says Taylor Moore, a Jackie Robinson Scholar who is attending the University of Illinois. “I have had business cards since I was nine years old.”

Moore is a music major who expresses appreciation for the JRF’s help with tuition and networking.

“When the foundation says they are more than writing a check, it is the truth,” she says. “It is a family atmosphere, a business network, a sense of caring, loving and supportive of young people. It trickles down from the Los Angeles office, to the New York office and the Chicago office, too. The foundation has been instrumental in my career as far as introducing me to musicians and passing my name to different artists.”

Amanda Patterson is a biology major at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Her goal is to attend medical school.

I almost gave up hope of attending Howard University,” Patterson says. “But at the right time, a miracle happened, the foundation was able to provide financial assistance and it was a blessing. Mrs. Rachel Robinson is an angel, and it is a blessing to have women such as her in our community who I can look up to.”

Anthony Diamond, another JRF scholar, graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Diamond did not stop there. He is pursing his masters in materials science and engineering at Stanford.

“The foundation is really a beautiful network for the students,” Diamond says. “It gives us the opportunity, not just financial support, to see other young African Americans in similar situation who are really driving towards their own passion. It is an inspiration to see that level of excellence.”

Sheannette Virtue is a writer for Carib Press.