By Alison Church, COO at Boerne Kendall County EDC
In 2019, the University of Texas at Austin’s IC2 Institute launched the Home to Texas internship program with the goal of sending students from small or rural communities back to their hometown community to intern at a local business. The students receive a $5,000 stipend and course credit and participate in a research project.
The idea was to teach students about the career opportunities that exist in the place they grew up and thereby reducing the loss of student talent to larger cities. Fast forward a few years, and the program has grown significantly and is now run by Texas Career Engagement.
The Boerne Kendall County Economic Development Corporation (BKCEDC) has partnered with UT since the launch of this program to bring UT Austin freshmen students back home after their first year of college to intern at one of our local businesses.
Each community that wishes to participate goes through an application process which includes providing a list of potential companies that would be interested in hosting an intern for the summer. There is also a financial commitment for each community that participates, which helps to cover the students’ $5,000 stipends.
As the sponsoring organization, interested companies reach out to BKCEDC to let us know they’d like to host an intern, and they also complete an application with UT. Students interested in participating in the program can apply though the university. The stipend is provided to the students because the program acknowledges not every student can afford to work for free.
Each year, the program continues to grow the number of students applying, the number of businesses wanting an intern, and the number of communities that are interested in participating in the program. The BKCEDC continues to partner with Home to Texas so we can be sure our students remember their experience after they graduate and consider coming back to Kendall County at some point during their career journey.
In the summer of 2024, Kendall County hosted four interns. The companies that participated were Prytime Medical Devices, SEnergy, Kendall County Engineering Department, and Manifestive Design. The BKCEDC hosted a reception at the conclusion of the summer program, and it was wonderful to hear the students share their strong work experiences through the program.
Similarly, the students’ supervisors spoke highly of the abilities and attitudes of the students and their willingness to tackle any project given to them. The reception also featured remarks from Commissioner Richard Chapman and County Judge Shane Stolarczyk.
We are fortunate as a community to participate in such a great program, not only for the professional and personal development of the students, but for those that end up working with them, as well. It’s a great leadership development tool and gives the opportunity to showcase the outstanding careers that exist in the students’ home communities. The BKCEDC looks forward to continuing this partnership with Home to Texas for years to come.
