Mitchell Scholar Izere Makes the Most of Fellowship at Texas Instruments

School may be out for the summer, but for Mitchell Scholar Henry Izere the learning opportunities have shifted into high gear.

Izere, the 2020 Mitchell Scholar from Portland High School and rising junior computer engineering major at the University of Maine, is spending summer 2022 interning in the Information Technology department at Texas Instruments in South Portland, Maine.

The applications he is developing will soon help TI employees get their needs met even quicker. By summer’s end, Izere will have at least two projects in his coding portfolio: an app that will allow employees to request computer parts and peripherals and an improved tool-user interface that will streamline the installation of new software releases on computers used in the manufacturing of semiconductors.

“Before interning at TI, I hadn’t been exposed to programming with C# language and real-world projects that have an impact on the manufacturing environment,” Izere says. “The internship experience is helping me see different career paths for my degree, like data science and programming. I’m enjoying the programming and application development experience the most.”

Although Izere’s internship is a paid opportunity to complement classroom learning with practical, workplace-based experiences, his summer is not without expenses, including the cost of relocating, rent, gas for the commute, and food. Here again, the Mitchell Institute has resources to help close financial gaps. The Institute’s Fellowship Program annually offers awards ranging from $500 to $1,500 to qualified Scholar and Alumni applicants, including Izere, who are pursuing internships, service learning, and study-abroad experiences that offer ongoing personal and professional development.

For Izere, the financial support provided through the Fellowship is further proof of the Mitchell Institute’s impact.

“Being part of a community of people who are there to help you … that means a lot to me,” says Izere of the support he has received from the Mitchell Institute and its many donors. “If I could meet them personally, I would thank them for the opportunities to help people from all over Maine achieve their dreams.”

The Mitchell Fellowship Award program was launched in spring 2011 with a generous gift from the J.A. and E.S. Hughes Fund. Mitchell Scholars and Alumni are eligible to apply for modest grants of up to $1,500 to support professional and personal development opportunities, such as unpaid (or underpaid) internships, career-related service projects, study abroad experiences, and post-graduate and certification test preparation. There are two application cycles annually, in spring and fall. In exchange for receiving the Fellowship, recipients are asked to complete a community service project that suits their interests and schedule.

Since the Fellowship Program’s inception, the Mitchell Institute has awarded more than $370,000 in fellowships to 366 Scholars and Alumni. To learn more about the opportunities Mitchell Scholars and Alumni have pursued with this critical financial support, please see the Fellowship Awards Database.