T-Mobile’s Explorer Prep Program Supports Diverse STEM Talent at a Young Age
A T-Mobile early career development program for high school students aims to broaden student’s perspective on how their diversity can positively impact professional environments as future Technology leaders.
Meet a current intern of the T-Mobile Explorer Prep Program, which provides high school kids of all backgrounds a chance to fast track a career in STEM as well as provides a pathway towards higher education for those who otherwise may feel its financially out of their reach. Developed in 2020, the Explorer Prep Program is designed to align with T-Mobile’s workforce goals in hiring diverse, early career talent in STEM. The program helps to develop a pipeline of high-performing high school students with a focus on Full Stack Development, Cybersecurity, and User Experience Design. These high school students participate in a certificate program with local community colleges to earn college credit and a certificate in a technology-related focus. This is a non-traditional pathway for high school students to achieve their career dreams through certification rather than the traditional 4-year bachelor’s degree path. Explorer Prep offers relatable work experience at T-Mobile over two summers, 8-weeks in length each. After completing their certificate, students have the opportunity to interview for a full-time employment development role at T-Mobile, where they will join the EICX Program.
Daaniya Junejo says the program has helped demystify some common technology competencies and shown her what a career in STEM truly looks like. Though always interested in coding, Junejo says she was intimidated to try and apply for colleges, fearing that she wouldn’t be able to truly grasp the skill and not wanting to fall into student loan debt while trying to figure out her potential. The daughter of immigrant parents, Junejo says she didn’t want to put a financial burden on her family and was also apprehensive about being a woman of color in a technology field that’s traditionally known for being unwelcoming to women and minorities. She says after starting the Explorer Prep program, she now is certain of where in the coding space she wants to pursue her career. She hopes to continue with T-Mobile and take advantage of its tuition assistance offerings for full time employees so she can continue her higher education.
