Nearly Three Dozen College Students are Embarking on a New Internship Experience at H&R Block

As summer draws near, so does a new class of interns at H&R Block’s Downtown Kansas City headquarters. Last week, nearly 30 interns were eagerly welcomed to “Embark,” a new, robust 11-week internship program designed to create opportunities for diverse young professionals.

Embark is organized by four pillars – Giveback, Professional Development, Social and Networking – to promote development and support H&R Block’s Connected Culture. These pillars are meant to foster personal and professional growth through workshops, mentorship, networking, relationship building, volunteering, community involvement, and more.

“We’ve created a meaningful internship experience to help ensure that college students who choose to spend time at Block are ready to successfully embark on their post-graduate careers,” said Tiffany Monroe, Chief People & Culture Officer for H&R Block. “One of the many exciting things about this summer’s program is the diversity among our interns who represent Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other schools with greater populations of Black, Indigenous, People of Color.”

One measure of internship program success is welcoming returning students for more resume-building experience. H&R Block is excited to welcome back Tito Opawole, a University of Missouri student majoring in Information Technology, for a second year.

“I returned to Block because I don’t think you can’t get the same love from another company,” said Opawole, Information Technology Intern. “I’m looking forward to learning about InfoSec, and more, given my career plans after college. And, thanks to Block, I know I’ll be exposed to these opportunities.”

Perhaps the most unique aspect of the reimagined internship program is the intentionality that’s been put toward helping interns build strong bonds. According to Forbes Advisor, 26% of employees name team-bonding activities as their top fringe benefit, while 78% of employees say they’re particularly motivated to work in person by seeing their work friends, according to Harvard Business Review. At H&R Block, social experiences are offered throughout the summer to encourage lifelong connections with fellow interns.

The social aspect goes even further with the addition of housing that has been provided to interns who are not Kansas City residents. This component was added to help the students focus on the internship and building relationships, absent the worry and cost of temporary housing.

“The housing aspect is one of the most important additions to the new program,” Opawole said. “It’s so nice to not have to worry about finding a place to stay, and I appreciate H&R Block for prioritizing this and creating an internship program that is about the whole student.”

H&R Block was recently named a Forbes Best Employer for New Graduates, Best Employers for Diversity and America’s Best Large Employers. For more information on careers at H&R Block, click here. And be sure to “meet” the new roster of Embark interns in the video below.