Cristina Lam is currently a student at the University of California, San Diego. She participated in the 2005 San Francisco BizAcademy. She shares her experience with the program.
Looking back on the four years since BizAcademy 2005, I am blown away by my role, the program, and Salesforce Foundation have played in my life. After graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School in 2006, I attended City College of San Francisco. My decision to attend City helped me save money and provided me the opportunity to work part-time. The Salesforce BizAcademy Scholarship financed the two years at City, and in the meantime, I was able to save money and gain invaluable, inimitable work experience at Salesforce.
Every time I talk about my work experience, I always talk about how much I loved the challenge and the work I did with the Foundation as the Community Involvement Coordinator. The team I worked with encouraged me to try new tasks and taught me a lot about the workforce as well as personal goals. During my lunch breaks, I would meet up with coworkers from other departments and get advice from my mentor, Alice, who helped me with my applications to transfer schools. During the last summer of my internship with the Foundation, I truly gained work experience that I couldn't have gained elsewhere. In addition to the tasks I had been doing for the Foundation, I helped develop the internship and mentor program by recruiting departments to hire, organizing the program, and uniting interns with mentors.
Having to leave Salesforce at the end of summer 2008 was difficult since I was transferring to the University of California, San Diego. I remembered how nervous and scared I was to move to southern California because I was leaving something so familiar; however, my mentor and co-workers at Salesforce were supportive, encouraging, and excited for the new opportunities and learning experiences that were waiting for me. Leaving Salesforce last year was difficult, but the relationships I've had with the people there continue to stay strong. I often keep in touch with my co-workers and have them give me advice on situations. I hope that my relationship with Salesforce continues to develop and I am grateful for all the programs and experiences I have gained since my 2005 exposure to BizAcademy.