Helping students reach their educational goals

Since 2007, Cummins Inc. has been a partner of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), the nation’s largest association dedicated to fostering Hispanic leadership in the STEM field. Cummins is also represented on the SHPE Industry Partnership Council (IPC), comprised of more than 76 organizations, including Fortune 500 companies and multiple government agencies committed to diversity and inclusion. Providing the opportunity to engage with SHPE’s 13,000+ network of students, IPC members align with the SHPE mission by supporting year-round programs, sharing industry perspectives, offering resources and development tools, and meeting recruitment and retention strategy goals.

In May 2023, following two years serving as SHPE IPC Vice-Chair, Courtney M., Global Talent Acquisition Leader for Early Careers Diversity at Cummins, was appointed IPC Chair, which further underscores the relevance Cummins’ role plays in its partnership with SHPE.

“A diverse and inclusive work environment is essential to the success of any company, creating a stronger and more competitive work environment,” says Courtney. “Throughout Cummins’ history, diversity and inclusion has been a core company value. We have made it a priority to invest in our company’s future by supporting organizations like SHPE which recognizes talented students that aspire to do great things with their knowledge and skills. I am very proud of our involvement with SHPE, and I am honored to be able to serve as IPC Chair as we focus our efforts to help shape the future of these bright minds.”

Leading and facilitating the quarterly meetings is just one responsibility of the role as SHPE IPC Chair. There are also monthly meetings with SHPE staff and committees as necessary, engagement of IPC member companies outside of regularly scheduled meetings, managing surveys and feedback, serving as the voice of IPC in making executive decisions, and along with partnering with SHPE staff on process improvements and changes to continue moving the organization, mission and values forward.

Cummins has taken an active role in addressing this need by offering the Cummins Latino InternSHPE Program. The internship comprises a 10-12 week paid internship at a Cummins site in the U.S. Living up to the program’s tagline of “Powering the Advancement of Latinos in STEM”, interns will receive ongoing coaching and mentorship from a Cummins mentor, have the ability to participate in various career development activities to help prepare students for their internship and post-graduation careers. 

“There are 11 Cummins Latino InternSHPE Program scholars who’ve started this August,” says Courtney. “We are really looking forward to seeing all the great achievements by this group over the course of their time at Cummins and having the opportunity to make a significant contribution in their educational success.”