07/30/2026
🧭💼🚀 Today marked the final session of the 2026 Upward Bound Internship Academy. We were pleased to welcome Ryleigh Jackson, Director of Marketing and Inclusion Strategy with Primary Talent Partners, back to USC Lancaster. As a former USCL colleague, her return made the final session especially meaningful.
Ryleigh encouraged participants to begin pursuing internships now and shared practical guidance on building résumés, finding opportunities, preparing for interviews, securing references, and using platforms such as Handshake and LinkedIn. Drawing from her own career journey, she also reminded these current Buford High School and Lancaster High School SC students that professional paths are rarely linear and that new opportunities, relationships, and skills often lead in unexpected directions.
Throughout the summer, Internship Academy participants learned from professionals across business, communications, education, finance, government, insurance, nonprofit leadership, performing arts, and other fields. Together, these sessions connected academic preparation with college, career, and adult-life expectations while helping participants build confidence and professional awareness.
We are deeply grateful to Ryleigh and every presenter who invested in our participants this summer. The Internship Academy may be complete, but the connections, encouragement, and knowledge gained through this initiative will continue well into the new school year and beyond.
