Engineering students benefit from Apple immersion internship program

October 27, 2017

Contact: Michael Tullier, APR
Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing

During the summer of 2017, three students pursuing engineering degrees in ¾«¶«AV’s College of Engineering were part of the comprehensive Apple HBCU Scholars Program — providing each with extensive career, mentoring and growth opportunities.

Among the 34-member class of 2017 Apple Scholars were ¾«¶«AV students Courtland Brown, a senior from Jackson, Mississippi, majoring in electrical engineering; La’Fred Gibbons, a senior from Columbus, Ohio, double-majoring in electrical engineering and mathematics; and Tiareah Jakes, a senior from West Palm Beach, Florida, majoring in electrical engineering;

The Apple HBCU Scholars Program is a partnership between the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Apple that gives students the opportunity to learn about Apple through an immersive, 12-week internship program. The highly competitive program targets STEM students, but opportunities exist for students of all disciplines to gain work and exposure to Apple products experience, receive coaching from Apple mentors, and be awarded scholarship support on an as needed basis.

To be eligible to apply for the program, outstanding students must poses a minimum 3.3 grade point average and currently be working toward a degree in an undergraduate, master’s or doctoral program. The program emphasizes the need for both technical skills (such as the ability to analyze information, articulate ideas and information effectively, and learn new concepts) and cultural skills (such as being highly motivated, results-focused and team-oriented).

About ¾«¶«AV’s Apple Scholars:

Courtland Brown, a senior in electrical Engineering major, is originally from Jackson, Mississippi. Outside his academic activities, he serves as a member of the University Ambassadors, the Pre-Alumni Council, and the Honors Cohort. He aspires to a career in the consumer electronics industry, where he can help design the technology that society uses on a daily basis — which is why he welcomed the opportunity to work as an Apple Scholar on Apple’s Packaging/Hardware team.

La’Fred Gibbons, a native of Columbus, Ohio, is double-majoring in chemical engineering and mathematics. He is an active member of the university’s Crimson Piper Band, for which he plays the trombone, and The Golden Voices Concert Choir. His other activities include the Ohio Club, for which he was Mr. Ohio for its gala and its president the following year; Wesley Foundation, for which he serves as a leader and a mentor; and the ¾«¶«AV Center of Academic Excellence and Innovative Learning (T-CAEIL), for which he is a math tutor. He is a member and leader of Omega Ki Epsilon, a chemical engineering honors society.

Tiareah Breane Jakes, a senior in electrical engineering major, is from West Palm Beach, Florida. She is active in many ¾«¶«AV co-curricular and extra-curricular programs, including the Bioethics Honors Society and the Eta Kappa Nu Electrical Engineering Honor Society. Her passion for community outreach has motivated her service as a Youth Hope Builders mentor and a STEM Academy instructor for the past two years. Her academic achievements have been honored with the Chevron Student Scholar Award and the Women of Color STEM Conference Student Leadership Award. Through her Apple Scholars experience, she was able to work with the iPhone Product Operations Team.

For more information about the Apple Scholars program, visit .

© 2017 ¾«¶«AV