Alabama Data Scholars Program Ready for Second Year of Student Internships

A group that offers Alabama high school and college students the opportunity to develop data-driven skills in science and engineering through summer internships at companies across the state is preparing for its second year.

Alabama Data Scholars, QuantHub’s internship and skills development initiative, celebrated the graduation of its first group of Data Scholars this summer at QuantHub’s headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama.

The new program, which this year has 26 scholarship recipients, has transformed the future of tech talent in Alabama by equipping high school students with innovative skills in data science, analytics and artificial intelligence through hands-on, hands-on experience, according to a statement from Data Scholars. Working with a mix of corporate partners, innovative startups, technology companies, and nonprofit and government entities, Alabama Data Scholars offers Alabama high school students from across the state a rare opportunity to gain 21st century skills through paid internships, all before they graduate from high school, according to the statement.

“We want students to see the rural opportunities in data and technology,” said Brenda Tuck, rural development manager for the Alabama Department of Commerce, in a statement about the 2024 program. “We will be using our Commerce interns to help us track our projects and Salesforce information, clean up records, run reports and do industry visits as a bonus. We are very impressed with the young lady we will be working with.”

The Class of 2024 interns were placed with 21 innovative employers across the state, including Energy Alabama, the Hispanic and Immigrant Center of Alabama (HICA), BlackBelt Technologies (BBT Connects), Southern Company, Protective Life Insurance, EBSCO Information Services, Altec, and more. These organizations provided an environment where the fellows could develop skills in artificial intelligence and machine learning, data analysis, data visualization, business analysis, Power BI, Python, and SQL while participating in hands-on projects.

Alabama high school seniors, sophomores, juniors, and recent graduates are eligible to participate if they are 16 or older at the time of internship. Signed parental consent is required for applicants under 18. The first group of 2024 Alabama Data Scholars were competitively selected from a pool of finalists and placed in internships with innovative data-driven organizations.

According to the program, Data Scholars are selected based on a combination of factors, including interest in pursuing a career in data science and developing data science skills, academic achievement and extracurricular involvement, involvement in QuantHub, and a demonstrated desire to innovate and make a positive difference in Alabama.

Registration for organizations interested in hosting paid summer internships in 2025 is ongoing; priority applications are due November 1. Student applications begin December 1. After this process, trainee candidates are reviewed and selected in mid-February 2025.

College Intern sessions run for 12 weeks – from May 12 to August 1, 2025. High School Intern sessions run for 8 weeks and from June 9 to August 1, 2025, as per the program. Quanthub assumes general responsibility and secures signed parental consent documentation for all applicants and interns under the age of 18.