Genesys Works Students share their Experience as Interns at Salesforce

By: Amy Lenz, Development Manager at Genesys Works – Bay Area

Genesys Works is a not-for-profit organization with a proven record of enabling inner-city high school students to succeed as corporate technology professionals. During this school year, four Genesys Works – Bay Area (GWBA) participants had the opportunity to intern at Salesforce.

Recently, as the internship came to a close, the four GWBA interns at Salesforce came together with their supervisors and colleagues to talk about their experience at Salesforce. For many of them, it was their first job, and they all recalled the anxiety that they felt on the first day as they dove into uncharted territory. And, as the weeks and months unfolded, the transformation that began at the start of their Genesys Works summer training, continued.

Jose, one of the GWBA interns, reflected on the skills he built through working with the Salesforce Tech Bar team. Jose shared three specific take-aways from his internship experience:

• Be confident- Jose reminded us that if we want others to believe in us, we must first believe in ourselves.
• Be honest- He stressed the importance of being honest about one’s capabilities and asking questions when necessary.
• Don’t be afraid- To future Salesforce interns, Jose would say that even though it may feel uncomfortable, it is through trying new things that one learns about themselves.

Jose says he emerged from his internship as “Jose 2.0,” with new life goals and the grit and determination to pursue them. He and his fellow interns are now getting ready to graduate high school and head to college in pursuit of their newly-discovered professional dreams.

Thank you to Salesforce for helping students discover those dreams and the confidence to make them a reality!