The first time I walked through the doors of my internship at JPMorgan Chase & Company, I had just finished my freshman year of high school in Bushwick, Brooklyn. I earned an internship in asset and wealth management—an area I knew nothing about—and through this work, I learned a ton. I learned about economics and client relationships and the nuances of explaining financial decisions. More than that, I learned what it was like to feel like an adult, to wear a suit, and to gain the respect that comes when you learn the language of business.
My internship experience led to my decision to double major in economics and film at Lafayette College, where I’m a first-generation college student. My internship helped shape my college experience and my future career. It is unfortunate—but not surprising—that not every high school student has that chance. That needs to change.
I had the opportunity for an amazing internship because I went to Achievement First University Prep High School, a public charter school in Brooklyn that prioritizes connecting students with internship and summer program opportunities. For four years of high school, I was able to participate in JPMorgan Chase & Company’s The Fellowship Initiative for young men of color in New York City. I would show up to the headquarters of JPMorgan every Saturday to learn about finances, economics, and to work on homework, SAT prep, and growing as a man.
When I learned of the recent Here to Here report that details the lack of access to internship opportunities for students from low-income communities – communities like mine—my first thought, sadly, was that I wasn’t surprised. My AF University Prep classmates and I had internships, but during the internship, I would meet students from other schools all over the country and most of these students seemed to come from higher net worth families. Their experiences were so different from mine. I know that there aren’t a lot of people like me in these internships. People who are lower-income deserve the opportunity to learn and improve our situations, to move up in the world, to leave the past behind. We have a different perspective that we can offer and enhance businesses as well.
I write this from Paris, where I’m spending the semester studying international affairs and business. My world has expanded far beyond what was once, for me, only Brooklyn and pieces of Manhattan. I’m preparing for a future where I can explore a career in finance, or in filmmaking, or both. My internship experience helped me get here. In an ideal world, I would love to see every high school student have an internship. It helps students feel more adult, it puts more responsibility on our shoulders, and it opens up more possibilities.
Schools and businesses across the country should do more to connect all students with internships. It can be life-changing. It was for me.
Edgar Dacto is a junior at Lafayette College. He is from Brooklyn, NY.
