Two local financial companies support increasing representation for Black and Brown students in the industry through internships

Steppingstone Scholars announced this week the selection of 20 college students for its Summer 2022 Inveniam Equity Internship Program. Two local companies are part of the program, Hamilton Lane in Conshohocken and Hirtle, Callaghan & Co. in West Conshohocken.

The internship program was launched as a pilot program in the summer of 2021 under Steppingstone’s Inveniam, a first-of-its-kind STEM equity and innovation lab with Penn Engineering. Through summer internships, financial services firms partner with Steppingstone to provide critical opportunities, professional access, education, experience, and sponsorship for Black and Brown college students interested in pursuing careers in underrepresented industries, including private equity, investment management, and venture capital. 

The second cohort of 20 Inveniam Equity Interns more than doubles the number of participating students from the pilot year. Steppingstone’s ability to scale and expand this program was facilitated by a transformational gift of $1 million from Hirtle Callaghan, a long-time partner to the educational non-profit. As Steppingstone’s Founding Inveniam Equity Corporate Partner in Financial Services, this investment specifically supports Steppingstone staff growth; pre-college and college-level courses for scholars focused on general business, finance, and investment management; expansion of the current Inveniam Equity Internship program; creation of a high school internship program; and the development of programs to educate and encourage high school students to apply to college as business/finance majors.  

“We are thrilled to support the critical work that Steppingstone is doing to combat inequality and create durable pathways to a career in financial services,” said Jonathan Hirtle, founder and executive chairman of Hirtle Callaghan. “Great firms work hard to access great talent, always and everywhere. The leading investment and financial services organizations in the Philadelphia region are coming together to build an effective pipeline into the diverse talent in our community. This is a beginning, a call to action for our industry. We must do more, and we can do it better together.”

The 2022 Class of Inveniam Equity Interns who are working locally include:

  • Dawud Alexander, Temple University, Hirtle Callaghan
  • Ibrahima Bah, Temple University, Hirtle Callaghan
  • Jalen Gopie, Sacred Heart University, Hamilton Lane 
  • Cobree Hooper, Lincoln University, Hamilton Lane
  • Saleh Ibrahim, Temple University, Hirtle Callaghan
  • Terrick Whitters, Albright College, Hirtle Callaghan

“The Inveniam Equity Internship Program is about providing students with opportunities that will spur professional growth and be a real catalyst for economic mobility,” said Chris Chaplin, the recently appointed Inveniam Program Director. “With the intense, collegial partnership of Philadelphia-based financial services firms, we can accelerate the expansion of this program by developing new relationships and high-level professional experiences for future internships while also connecting with high school students to highlight financial services as a real pathway for them to pursue.”