Comcast Corporation, the nation’s leading provider of cable,
entertainment, and communications products and services, held its Multi-Cultural
Intern Day this past summer. Over 60 students from across the Mid-Atlantic
region—some of whom were part of Comcast-supported regional internship
programs and others who interned at Comcast’s Philadelphia, PA,
headquarters—attended the event. Eager-to-learn students engaged
in informational and interactive workshops led by Comcast’s senior
executives, who lent their insights about achieving success in corporate
America. The program provided an inside look at the company’s
corporate operations while also engaging students in interactive learning
sessions and panel discussions designed to cultivate the next generation
of business leaders.
“Multi-Cultural Intern Day represents an example of Comcast’s
longstanding tradition of supporting diversity in the workplace and
in the community,” says David L. Cohen, executive vice president
and co-chair, The Comcast Foundation, who along with Comcast founder
Ralph Roberts and other senior executives, provided the students with
insights to achieving success. “Providing access and experience
is what often gives young people an advantage in the hiring process.
This is at the core of our internship experiences. We also try to communicate
the importance of hard work, having goals, and gaining as many experiences
as possible.”
Many of the participating students are part of Comcast-supported regional
internship programs through organizations such as the National Puerto
Rican Coalition (NPRC) and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
(CHCI), as well as students who interned at Comcast’s Philadelphia
headquarters. The goal of these programs, and of this day, was to better
position minority students and help them understand the challenging
demands of corporate life.
“The customers we serve and the suppliers we hire represent a
multitude of backgrounds and ethnicities, and our workforce should reflect
that,” states Charisse Lillie, Comcast Cable’s senior vice
president of human resources. “Diversity in thoughts, philosophies,
and experiences make corporations, including Comcast, stronger, and
it benefits our communities.”
The Comcast Foundation
The goal of The Comcast Foundation, according to Susan Gonzalez, vice
president, is three-fold. “The Comcast Foundation centers on literacy,
volunteerism, and youth leadership development,” she explains.
“We provide funding to many diverse local and national advocacy
organizations that focus on education and literacy. We also sponsor
Comcast Cares Day, which celebrates volunteerism within the local communities
in which our employees live and work.”
Gonzalez adds that Comcast partners with such national diversity organizations
as Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), National Council
of La Raza, National Puerto-Rican Coalition, and the National Urban
League. “We participate in many job and career fairs to demonstrate
the company’s career opportunities as an employer of choice. One
of our many sponsorships includes the opportunity to sponsor four Comcast/CHCI
interns.”
“Multi-Cultural Intern Day gives students an opportunity to learn
about the industry,” Gonzalez remarks. “They meet Comcast
executives and discover how these executives from diverse communities—African
American, Asian American, and Hispanic—arrived at their current
jobs. Many of these employees are first-generation college graduates,
as their parents never attended college.”
Gonzalez adds that that interns return to their respective college campuses
and communicate with fellow students about opportunities at Comcast.
“We hope that students share their Comcast experience with others
and discover career opportunities at their local Comcast facility. We’re
beginning to create a network with these students.” Hoping to
share this model with other Comcast divisions, Gonzalez encourages interested
students to contact the company at www.comcast.com.
Internship Experiences
Keith Fernandez, a third-year student majoring in political science
at Florida International University, Miami, FL, and Adriana Resendez,
an American Studies major at the University of Southern California (USC),
Los Angeles, CA, participated in this year’s Multi-Cultural Intern
Day.
Ignited by an interest in public policy, Fernandez discovered that his
CHCI internship in Washington, DC, enabled him to learn how the political
process works firsthand. “At the Multi-Cultural Intern Day, I
learned what drove Comcast executives to be where they are today,”
Fernandez declares. “I also gained a better perspective on how
they assimilated into a non-minority community.”
Visiting Washington, DC, and Philadelphia for the first time, Resendez
interned for Congressman Joe Baca of San Bernardino, CA. “I’m
proud of my work helping Congress renew the breast cancer research stamp,
which has generated over $53 million in sales,” she notes. “I
also appeared in a public-service announcement for the CHCI internship
program.”
Resendez was also inspired by the stories of women of color in corporate
America at the Multi-Cultural Intern Day. “These women were so
inspiring. I also connected with my peers who all strive to succeed
on their campus.”
Resendez hopes to receive a Fulbright scholarship and may also apply
to law school or earn her PHD in American Studies. “I want to
work in public service,” she concludes.
Commitment To Diversity
Comcast’s commitment to diversity is focused in four key areas:
attracting and retaining a multicultural workforce, developing a diverse
supplier group, offering a wide selection of multicultural programming,
and pledging significant community investments.
With 24.1 million cable customers, 12.4 million high-speed Internet
customers, and 3.5 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved
in the development, management, and operation of broadband cable systems
and in the delivery of programming content.
Comcast’s content networks and investments include E! Entertainment
Television, Style Network, The Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, AZN Television,
PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, Comcast SportsNet, and Comcast Interactive
Media, which develops and operates Comcast’s Internet business.
Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, whose major
holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia
76ers NBA basketball team, and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.
