Giving Students a MITRE "Sanctuary"

January 2012

Johan Mejia is one of six Notre Dame High School students working in MITRE's Corporate Work Study program this academic year.

It had been a busy day for high school intern Johan Mejia. Much of it had been spent aiding in the preparation of various elements associated with the new phone system on MITRE's Bedford, Mass., campus. Another task involved tracking LAN/Voice and Network media inventory. As Mejia recounted his experiences, he noted that, among other things, he's learning how to make the cables for videoconference and other network media systems at MITRE.

"If I hadn't started working here, I don't think I would ever have thought to even try to make a cable like that," Mejia said. "When I started, I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do. I had no idea what MITRE was or what technology I was going to be involved with."

That has changed. Mejia, a junior at Notre Dame High School (NDHS) in Lawrence, Mass., is one of six students taking part in a Corporate Work Study program. It's run by MITRE and NDHS, a private co-ed Catholic school opened in 2004 that largely consists of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. MITRE staff who have supported the program since it started in 2008 speak highly of the students and of the personal and public service rewards gained through participation in the program. And now they want to offer their colleagues a chance to take part too.

"We're doing a good thing not only for MITRE, but also for the community," said Janice Cruzen, a lead human resources generalist, who has implemented the Corporate Work Study program in several of MITRE's corporate business centers. "These are self-motivated and intelligent students who, without the assistance of this work program, would most likely not be able to take advantage of this quality education. The best part is that they graduate and go on to college with a professional resume reflecting the work they performed at MITRE."

NDHS offers students a chance to get a college preparatory education. The school is part of the Cristo Rey Network, which consists of 24 schools that are part of the Corporate Work Study Program. Beginning in September 2004 with 80 freshmen, the school now has approximately 260 students in grades 9-12. By doing entry-level administrative tasks at MITRE, NDHS students learn job skills and discipline and also get a chance to interact with professional staff—all while earning money toward their tuition, the majority of which they must pay themselves.

MITRE has no stronger champion of this outreach than Lisa Bender, MITRE's vice president and chief human resources officer. Bender is aware of the business benefits of the initiative—specifically, the need to train more young people for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers—but she is especially moved by the humanitarian and community service aspects of the partnership. In fact, she believes so strongly in NDHS's mission that she sits on the school's board of directors.

"The creation of this particular school was based on a very strong vision that involves sending disadvantaged kids to college," said Bender. "It's amazing. I'm inspired by them. We talk about leadership here at MITRE, creating a vision of transformational capability, and this is a great example. These are people who are transforming the lives of young adults."

According to Cruzen, most of the students come to MITRE with entry-level skill sets, although they know Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. But the students who joined the program last year caught on quickly enough that most of them were hired to continue working at MITRE over the summer. And a number of managers have asked to work with NDHS freshmen so that the students build on their skills throughout all four years of high school.

The key to keeping the MITRE-NDHS partnership successful, said Cruzen, is support from those who work directly with the students. "It's a real commitment that can be so rewarding when you see your student successfully move on to college," she said.

For his part, Mejia now has his sights set on college and he hopes to stay at MITRE through his senior year. He's now preparing, at the suggestion of his supervisors, to delve into the basics of computer networking.

"I'm pretty psyched about that," he said. "I want to get exposed to as much as I can so I can continually use those skills and take them to school."

—by Russell Woolard

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