Developing the Next Generation of Leaders

Business, Innovations & Initiatives

09/06/2019

Group of interns pictured with Centene CEO Michael Neidorff

From May through August 2019, Centene hosted more than 138 undergraduate and graduate students representing 81 colleges and universities as part of our 2019 Summer Internship Experience. Our internships support the development of early-career professionals through targeted coaching, exposure, and mentoring from emerging leaders at Centene. The program's core goal is to strengthen Centene's talent pipeline with a diverse and competitive pool of professionals, while providing opportunities to enhance operational effectiveness and improve our member experience.

The video below is a signature project led by interns from Centene's Corporate Communications and Marketing departments. Centene interns led the production of the video that spotlights the Summer Internship Experience. 

 

 

As part of the program, interns are matched with "experience coaches" - Centene employees focused on helping students reach their full potential. Interns take part in real-world business projects and are provided development opportunities aligned with core business strategies.

"My favorite part of the internship was learning how to work on challenging, mission-critical projects like market research and strategy implementation," said Tapiwa Chinodakufa, intern with the Strategy, M&A and Health Policy Department. "I learned how to collaborate with multiple stakeholders and had the privilege of interacting with senior executives, including Centene's Chairman, President and CEO Michael Neidorff."

Additionally, Centene interns developed leadership skills through internal workshops, contributed to community outreach projects and attended networking events.

"Seeing the impact our interns made in so many areas is impressive," said Missy Borchardt, Director of Emerging Talent. "Their real-world projects will continue bringing value to Centene and our members into the future."

Planning is already underway for Centene's 2020 Summer Internship Experience, building on the successes of years past.

group of interns sit in circle during presentation.

Graduate interns learned about Centene's Executive Immersion Program (EIP) from a panel of current EIP employees and alumni: Amy Friedman, Alex Vandeloo, Arvan Chan, and Ashley Oster, moderated by Katie Schreiber, Learning Consultant-Executive Immersion Program