About this issue.

Anyone on the verge of launching a career should know that summer internship programs are Americas best-kept secret. They offer eager, inexperienced young people the best opportunities to gain exposure in any particular industry. Don't sneeze at it: Many high-level executives and professionals started their careers as summer interns.

Few companies take their intern program more seriously than Earl G. Graves Ltd., the parent company of BLACK ENTERPRISE. Several former interns have launched successful careers at this company, including Tanisha A. Sykes, a 1993 summer intern, and Tariq K. Muhammad, a 1994 summer intern. (Sykes is currently an associate editor, and Muhammad is our interactive media director.) The young people who walk through the doors of the Earl G. Graves "academy" don't sharpen pencils, shuffle paper, or fetch coffee. The exception: one poor soul who has to make a ceremonial chicken run to the nearest Popeyes in 15 minutes or less. In all seriousness, the interns are expected to work as hard as our staff does--researching material, conducting interviews, writing articles, and meeting deadlines. Our program is highly competitive--we receive some 500 applications and resumes yearly for only 12 internship openings.

The interns assigned to our editorial department work as reporter/researchers, and this year's group made significant contributions to our September and October issues. That group consisted of Charlene Carter, a Howard University senior majoring in print journalism; Courtney Charity, a Duke University sophomore studying public policy and literature; Ashley N. Gibson, a University of Oklahoma senior majoring in journalism; Naeemah Khabir, a Florida A&M University senior studying magazine production; Jennifer L. Smith, a Spelman College graduate with a degree in English; and Marcia A. Wade, a Roosevelt University journalism graduate. Other interns served in other areas of our company. Steven Burtt, an Iona College sophomore, worked in our advertising department. Jahmar DePass, a Stony Brook University junior studying African studies, and Kimberly Frye, a Spelman College sophomore majoring in economies, made significant contributions to this year's Black Enterprise/Pepsi Golf & Tennis Challenge. Billy Peraza, a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute junior studying computer science, helped keep our computer systems running smoothly. And Yvonne Shirley, a University of Pennsylvania junior studying sociology, worked with our corporate communications staff.

"By all accounts, this year's intern class raised the bar significantly for all future interns." explains Natalie M. Hibbert, our employment and benefits program manager and internship coordinator. "It was the largest group that we've ever had and they came in and hit the ground running. They needed minimal instruction and were able to work independently and get the job done."

Gibson, one of our editorial interns, says, "BE invests in its interns, which is why I believe so many of them turn out to be successful. The [editor-in-chief] made it clear that there were high standards to be met by all editorial interns--none of them unobtainable, but high and expected nonetheless. That heightened my desire to do well."

Gibson says she believes the entire intern class was motivated to do their best this summer and that her experience at BE was incredibly valuable. "This has been the best career investment I have ever made. The returns far exceeded my expectations," she adds.