2 Houstonians Selected For Coveted Google Internship

EChristianPR: This summer, two Houstonians were selected to participate in a highly coveted summer internship program at Google. The BOLD (Building Opportunities for Leadership and Development) Internship is designed to reveal opportunities within the tech industry to historically underrepresented students.

Cory Gaddis, an army veteran and student at the University of Houston; and Rahsaan King, a student at Harvard University as well as the founder of a company focused on helping underrepresented students like himself, have exceptional stories about their upbringing in Houston and how it led them to success at Google.

Cory Gaddis:

Cory describes his adolescent self as a “bad student” with low and failing grades until choosing to pursue a path in the military. Becoming a commanding officer in the army, Cory learned first-hand the importance of contribution and intention. The idea of being dedicated to something bigger has been essential to his performance since leaving the military. Now as a Google intern, Cory has brought his unique perspective and experiences as a veteran to his projects and workplace. Initially drawn to Google for their core values, Cory has since learned how his individual projects contribute to the greater company mission of impacting people’s lives.

Rahsaan King:

Rahsaan grew up in a Houston neighborhood where the disparity between those with opportunities, and those without, was apparent. Many of the youth in his neighborhood ended up in gangs or in prison, and violence and poverty became consistent elements in Rahsaan’s life. After being introduced to student mentoring programs in high school, Rahsaan had the opportunity to attend a preparatory boarding school. This December, Rahsaan will be graduating from Harvard University. He accredits much of his academic success to the mentorship he received from the First Tee program in Houston. This summer, during his Google internship, Rahsaan worked heavily with the Education Equity team to provide educational resources, tools, and opportunities to underrepresented students like himself. Rahsaan hopes to apply the skills he learns this summer to the online mentorship and tutoring company he founded, Students of Strength.