Interns from around the globe celebrated Cleveland and geared up for an unforgettable summer

Summer in the Land has arrived!

 A total of 1,784 interns registered for Tuesday’s Summer in the Land launch at Progressive Field. The program –six free social gatherings plus professional development events -  has a simple but powerful goal: Connect Greater Cleveland’s interns with one another, the business community and the many offerings of Greater Cleveland.   

 “This is such a great way to meet new people and do new things,” said Kaitlyn Kooken, who is studying Chemical Engineering at The Ohio State University and interning at Lincoln Electric.  “It makes me want to stay in the city after I graduate.”

 The program is sponsored by Cleveland Talent Alliance, a consortium of public, private and nonprofit organizations focused on attracting new talent.

 On Tuesday, the interns mixed, mingled and cheered on the Guardians to a come-from-behind 8 – 5 win over the Kansas City Royals. They also had a chance to win Cleveland swag while dining on stadium dogs and received a passionate welcome from GCP CEO Baiju Shah and Cuyahoga County’s Deputy Chief of Integrated Development Debbie Berry. Guardians owner and CEO Paul Dolan was in attendance, and Mayor Bibb sent an email greeting to attendees the next day.

 All interns also received a free ticket to Cedar Point, a destination more than a few said is on the top of their summer bucket list.

Want to see more Summer in the Land? Click the photo above for Tuesday's pics and share yours using #TheLandforLife.

Registrants came from near and far to the Land, representing more than:

• 364 companies, including Sherwin-Williams, Lubrizol, Lincoln Electric, the Cleveland Clinic and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
• 214 colleges
• 43 states (plus Puerto Rico)
• 30 countries, including: Brazil, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Israel, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania and Vietnam.

Nana Oduro, from London, United Kingdom, studies at UNC Chapel Hill and is interning at PolicyBridge. He was surprised by the diversity and amount of things to do in Cleveland – and he’s only been here two weeks.

One lucky intern - Daniel Kargbo, an information systems major at Cleveland State University, even got to throw out the first pitch.

“It’s an honor,” said Kargbo, pictured above center. “It’s a really cool opportunity.”

Kargbo, who works on business analytics for Sherwin-William’s digital colors team, easily made it across the plate – setting the tone for a winning evening.

 

 

 

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Cheyenne Harrison is back for her second Summer in the Land. The Grand Forks, N.D., native is interning at NASA. She said Summer in the Land exposed her to “all sorts of great activities,” last summer  - she particularly liked the Metroparks and the region’s accessibility to both urban and rural experiences.

 Her internship, and the fun she had last summer, opened her eyes to the possibility of making the area home after graduation.

 “Cleveland has so much,” she said.

 The next Summer in the Land event is the MetroHealth Juneteenth FreedomFest on June 14^th and 15^th in downtown Cleveland on Mall C. 

 For more events and info: Summer in The Land Events - Greater Cleveland Partnership