High school students Maribel Lopez-Leon and Floyd Avelar are gaining real-world work experience thanks to a new, innovative internship program.
Lopez-Leon and Avelar, seniors at Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, serve as interns at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma. BCBSOK has partnered with Genesys Works, which creates career pathways and opportunities for youth from underserved communities while simultaneously helping employers bring on talent with different perspectives and experiences.
This is the first year the Tulsa business community has participated in the Genesys Works program, making Lopez-Leon and Avelar among the first high school seniors in the area to benefit from this opportunity.
BCBSOK President Stephania Grober said the internship program presents an opportunity to make a positive impact on the community while integrating a youthful perspective into the company's work culture.
“Our partnership with Genesys Works is vital to the communities we serve,” Grober says. “The talents these unique individuals possess are desperately needed in the health care industry. We want to provide opportunities for these underserved youth to have a pathway to success — a stepping stone to better their future and Oklahoma’s.”
Last summer, students selected for the program were trained to prepare them for their internships. Lopez-Leon and Avelar began working at BCBSOK in August at the beginning of the school year.
“It is a life-changing experience,” says Lopez-Leon, who works in the network onboarding department to ensure provider credentialing. “You get the knowledge of how corporate jobs are and how great they are in communication and structure. And, overall, it’s a nice thing to have on a resume and for college. If we want to go further, we’ve got to work somewhere where it gives you experience and prepares us. I think Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma does that for us.”
Avelar has been learning about manual claims while working in the pricing department.
“The people are definitely very welcoming,” he says. “Everyone here has a special bond. You can talk to people here about anything. Everyone is very approachable.”
With their high school years nearing an end, Lopez-Leon aspires to work as a neurologist in mental health, hoping to help people in her community. Avelar hopes to work in research and development as a botanist.
They expressed their appreciation for gaining work experience as interns and believe having BCBSOK on their resumes can help open doors for them.