Why Expanding Access to Education and Career Paths Matters

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Ashanti Terry remembers exactly where he was when he realized he wanted to get into computer programming to help people — getting his student ID photo taken at Albany State University.

In that moment, just starting out at the Historically Black College and University (HBCU), he had no idea that he was about to be introduced to healthcare technology through the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF).

通过TMCF实习计划，Medtronic雇用了HBCU学生，他们研究科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）的暑期实习机会，提供发展机会，并最终旨在全职雇用他们 - 创建一条早期的人才培养。

自2020年合伙企业成立以来，特里是Medtronic的64名TMCF实习生之一。

And in 2022, we began a similar partnership with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) for SHPE interns at Medtronic and SHPE scholarships through the Medtronic Foundation.

‘More voices like me’

“I saw the Eric Garner video and it hurt me,” Terry said, referring to a Black man who died while in police custody in 2014. “I just wanted to make something that will help change the world, that would help people — whatever direction that took.”

For now, that is as a software engineer in the Pelvic Health business at Medtronic.

Building teams with diverse perspectives and backgrounds is crucial for the innovation required to bring life-saving technologies to more patients around the world. But the STEM field continues to fall short in representation of women, Black, and Hispanic professionals.

“I have a different perspective as an African American man. If everyone is the same, then we won’t have diverse thinking coming in, and we won’t grow. We’ll stagnate,” Terry said. “That’s important, and TMCF is partnering with Medtronic to fix that. They’re working to get more voices like me in the room.”

Expanding access

Another part of the TMCF partnership is a multi-year scholarship program for undergraduate students at HBCUs, funded by the Medtronic Foundation.

自该计划的成立以来，这项首次与HBCUS建立和建立和建立更牢固的关系，已获得超过100多个TMCF奖学金。

These scholarships are part of a larger effort by the Medtronic Foundation to elevate its focus on STEM and promote equity and representation with the goal of improving the lives of underserved communities.

One of the main components of the scholarship is a mentor/mentee program. Each of the scholarship recipients is paired with a Medtronic employee volunteer who provides guidance, motivation, and emotional support.

Additionally, the African Descent Network, a Medtronic employee resource group, donates time and resources to help the scholarship recipients navigate their academic journeys and exposes them to professional opportunities provided by a STEM education.

Terry sees diversity as a key to innovation, and so is a willingness to keep trying, he said. But his biggest message for TMCF interns and scholarship recipients is, “You’re here because you earned it.”

At Medtronic, we strategically partner with other organizations that share our commitment to removing barriers to equity, particularly in industries like healthcare technology that require top talent in STEM fields.Learn moreabout how these strategic partnerships help advance equity in our Global Inclusion, Diversity & Equity 2022 Annual Report.