Our Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Michelle A Banks, sat down with two former Kohl’s interns, now full-time associates, to speak about their career journeys and what it takes to cultivate an inclusive community. #Kohls #LifeatKohls #BestSummerEver #KohlsInternships
Last month, we welcomed nearly 600 interns to Kohl's as part of our annual summer internship program. It’s an important talent pipeline for us – in fact, more than 1,000 of our current associates started as Kohl’s interns! In the 14 years I’ve been with Kohl’s, I’ve met many of these associates and am often in awe of their stories. So to celebrate the kick-off of this year’s internship program, I sat down with Eudulia (Elle) Velez and Darrell Martin – two current associates and former interns. Their journeys of perseverance, breaking down stereotypes, and exemplifying what it takes to cultivate an inclusive environment are incredible. Elle was part of our 2011 intern class and is now a store manager in Conroe, Texas, which has a sizeable Hispanic population. Elle has been instrumental in creating an inclusive shopping experience for her customers by working with Kohl’s Hispanic y Latino BRG to implement bilingual signs, music and graphics. Darrell was part of last year’s intern class and now works as an associate software engineer. Despite the engineering field being predominantly white, Darrell gives credit to the power of representation, which encouraged him to explore and ultimately land a job in the field. Thank you, Elle and Darrell, for sharing your stories. Check out the video to hear more. #Kohls #LifeatKohls #BestSummerEver #KohlsInternships