Disney Procurement Representative and former Port of Long Beach intern Anthony Rodriguez speaks about how his POLB internship affected his career. Photos by Keeley Smith.
The Port of Long Beach (POLB) announced its commitment to education outreach through a number of new initiatives this week, in addition to recognizing scholarship recipients and interns at the high school and college levels.
The new initiatives include a new education portal, a career and college exploration night, and a teacher externship program—all aimed at expanding opportunities for a diverse group of students and teachers.
“We want to foster a deeper interest and understanding of port-related careers,” said POLB Director of Communications and Community Relations Michael Gold at an event Wednesday titled “Celebrating Education.” He said the Port created the new initiative to “prepare students to be successful in all ranges of industry,” whether they are on the college track or not.
Michael Gold asked high school and collegiate recipients to stand, naming them individually to a round of applause.
According to a release issued yesterday, a total of $58,500 was awarded by the port to 27 Long Beach high school students, and a total of $607,650 was awarded in scholarships to 351 students at Long Beach City College (LBCC) and California State University Long Beach (CSULB). The collegiate students selected are pursuing careers in the international trade and goods movement industry.
“I want to thank the [port] for their generous support of these bright young people,” said Long Beach Mayor Dr. Robert Garcia in a statement. “These are the leaders of the future, who will ensure our [port] remains the premier port in the United States.”
Wednesday’s keynote speaker Anthony Rodriguez, a procurement representative for the Walk Disney Company, spoke about the POLB’s role in his career. He said his year-long POLB internship allowed him to “see world trade occurring right in front of [his] eyes.”
The new education website Port of Long Beach Academy, unveiled as part of the port’s education initiative, is designed to offer students a comprehensive platform to pursue scholarships, internships, lesson plans and virtual classroom and video series.
The “Career/College Exploration Night” will occur this fall at Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) schools. For the teacher externship program, 14 teachers have been selected for the program’s inaugural class. Their lessons will be posted on the POLB Academy website at the close of the externship.
