CLIMB (Colorado Leaders, Interns and Mentors in Business), a program developed and run on a volunteer basis by alumni of Ivy League schools, is celebrating its 10th year this fall. The internship program helps students from Yale, Middlebury, MIT, Stanford, Brown and Harvard get internships in Denver.
"We thought students should have more options than just California in terms of careers," says CLIMB President Micah Gurard-Levin, a volunteer for the program who works at Liberty Global. He was also an intern in the program in 2008. "We thought that bringing students to Denver would be a great way to showcase what Denver had to offer in terms of lifestyles and companies that are here."
"In 10 years, we've had about 15 students move here full time," Gurard-Levin says. He explains that some of the students in the program are first year student and not set on their career path, others may change their careers as they go forward in school.
"College students benefit from all sorts of career development opportunities to explore things they like or may end up not liking," adds Gurard-Levin, contending it's important for the students. "The second piece is helping companies in Colorado attract new talent to their companies and helping them expand beyond the relationships they already have with the some of the great schools that are here in Denver and in Colorado."
The program, which is now seeking companies to place interns with for summer 2015, according to Gurard-Levin. It has expanded with new companies and has even worked with startups operating out of Galvanize. "We realize the growth in the startup industry here in Denver and its a great fit. Grads and college students are really excited about entrepreneurialism and they want to be joining companies that have a great culture and are doing exciting things. We also work with large companies and nonprofits and medical and science research as well."
Interns in the CLIMB program stay in a dorm together. The $3,000 internships, including housing, are paid for by the sponsoring companies, according to Gurard-Levin. During their stay from May to August, they have a chance to be mentored, learn from guest speakers and go out and enjoy Colorado's outdoor activities like hiking and rafting.
Contact Confluence Denver Innovation & Jobs News Editor Chris Meehan with tips and leads for future stories at chris@confluence-denver.com.
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