Sometimes all it takes is the right question. And a nudge from the president of the United States. It worked for LaNita Juniel, Asia Meshack and 14 other top high school students from East Palo Alto and Menlo Park. The students -- rich in intelligence and determination, but otherwise not so rich -- graduated Friday from a program pairing a job with regular sessions on how to get ahead in the work world. ``This is not for a kid to learn how to copy, or get water, or bring coffee to someone,'' says Sharifa Wilson, who was East Palo Alto Mayor when former President Clinton nudged. Wilson directs Homestretch, an internship program at Hewlett-Packard, Applied Materials and Homestead Technologies, the Menlo Park Internet company that started the program last summer. The jobs leave students with a nest egg, a $1,000 scholarship and a new outlook. ``I'm not limiting myself to one or two things,'' says Meshack, 17, who did public relations work for Homestead. ``There are so many things that you can do. This has definitely expanded my personal horizons.'' The horizon can seem limited from the streets of East Palo Alto. College is not a given and, for some, not an option. It's easy to feel left behind when the divide is much more than digital. But the internships help open the world. ``My dream is to become a civil rights lawyer,'' says Juniel, 17, who tested digital music and photography designs for Hewlett-Packard. She leaves shortly for the Air Force Reserve, then on to Clark College in Atlanta. The internship program is modest. Wilson and Homestead chief executive Justin Kitch hoped to have 40 interns this summer, but four or five companies dropped plans to participate, citing the economic slump. Sometimes, though, even little things make a difference. Like that question, asked in April 2000 at a digital divide panel convened in East Palo Alto by Bill Clinton. A high school student asked whether Clinton would help East Palo Alto kids receive internships. Panel member and HP chief executive Carly Fiorina said there were many Silicon Valley internships. Clinton asked whether there were many for high school students. Not exactly, came the answer. Maybe, Clinton said, Mayor Wilson could do something about that. And she has done something. Let's hope with the help of valley companies, she can do more. http://www0.mercurycenter.com /premium/local/docs/dispatch19 .htm

CNET News "Homestead runs high-tech internship" Homestead, a home-page Web site, is running a paid summer internship program that placed 17 high school students in full-time positions from June 18 through Aug. 17. The students, chosen from low-income areas of Silicon Valley, are working 40 hours per week at Homestead, Hewlett-Packard and Applied Materials in various high-tech areas, including Web design, product development and marketing. The program, which pays interns $10 per hour, devotes the first week of the internship to a weeklong "Learning Skills Academy" at Stanford University. On completing the program, interns receive a $1,000 scholarship toward future studies and an HP printer. Homestead ran a pilot version of the program last year that gave seven students internships. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005- 200-6473755.html

San Jose Business Journal "High-tech internships expanded" A special internship program to introduce students to the high-tech world has gained the support of Homestead Technologies Inc., Applied Materials, Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. The program targets academically strong students from two of the Bay Area's economically disadvantaged communities, East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park. Each company will provide summer internships to students to create awareness of the high-tech opportunities that exist just outside the students' neighborhoods. "At Applied Materials we feel it is important for students to acquire the skills they need to participate in the new digital economy and society," says Mike O'Farrell, vice president of global community affairs at Applied Materials. The Homestretch internship program was created as a result of a call by former President Bill Clinton to help erase the "digital divide" made during his visit last year to East Palo Alto. The program was designed by Homestead Technologies CEO Justin Kitch and councilmember and former mayor of East Palo Alto, Sharifa Wilson to demonstrate what students can achieve by staying in school and pursuing higher education. http://sanjose.bcentral.com/sanjose/s tories/2001/06/25/daily58.html

Down Homestretch comes an education When Jenny Torres decided she wanted to go to college, she had no idea how she could make it happen. Though she technically lives in Silicon Valley, she grew up in East Palo Alto, a relatively poor area separated from Palo Alto by an interstate that might as well be a wall representing the digital divide. While Palo Alto kids' college careers are often assumed, she grew up in a family where no one had ever attended a university. Torres' mom, a factory worker and immigrant from Mexico who raised two children by herself, had always supported their education. But "she was thinking 'graduate from high school,' " says Torres, 18. That alone would have been a great accomplishment. This fall, Torres will become a freshman at the University of California-Berkeley. She credits a series of programs, including scholarships, mentoring and an internship project, started last year, that broadened her view of the possible. Torres was one of seven interns in a pilot program run and funded by Silicon Valley company Homestead.com. Not only did she solidify her dream, but after working with computers all summer, she decided she wanted to become a programmer. This year, she's continuing in the program, Homestretch, which has now stretched to include 17 students and two other companies, Hewlett-Packard and Applied Materials. The program, which pays students $10 an hour, "gives me the courage to go farther," she says. She also wants to go back and help her community. "I wish I could make a difference later. I want all little kids growing up to have things I didn't have." Torres also has won several scholarships, including one from H-P for $35,000. LaNita Juniel, 17, also is a second-year student intern with Homestretch; she was featured in this column last year. "I wasn't sure about college," she says. But her mentors at Homestead "reinforced the importance of a college education. It opened my mind." She'll attend Clark Atlanta University next spring, and plans to go into the Air Force Reserve. East Palo Alto councilwoman Sharifa Wilson, who designed the program with Homestead CEO Justin Kitch, is hoping to continue its expansion. "I'd like to have kids in every company in the valley." Adds Kitch: "When the market is down, it's even more important for companies to participate in these types of programs. It pays dividends for years."

San Mateo County Times  -- "Interns ready for a high-tech summer" MENLO PARK -- While many high school students will spend the summer working as lifeguards, at day camps, or in other typical summer employment, 17 students from East Palo Alto and Menlo Park will have a different summer adventure: internships with local high-tech firms. Part of the Homestretch program, the internships will allow the high school seniors-to-be to get experience in Web design, marketing or product development at companies such as Homestead, Hewlett-Packard and Applied Materials. The program grew out of a suggestion by former President Bill Clinton to find internships for high school students. Clinton posed the challenge to Sharifa Wilson, former mayor of East Palo Alto and a current city councilwoman, when he spoke in the city last year. Wilson, who has worked with youth in several capacities, turned to Justin Kitch, chief executive officer of Homestead, a Web site-building service. The two first met when Kitch was a Stanford University student volunteering at a program run by Wilson. The two created an internship program to give high school students opportunities to gain work experience in Silicon Valley technology companies. Last year, seven students interned at Homestead. This year, 18 students from Menlo-Atherton, Carlmont and Woodside high schools will take part in the program. "I've always worked with young people and youth," Wilson said. "That's one of the reasons I ran for city council. I got involved in wanting to do something for kids. "These kids pass by these companies every day," Wilson said. "But they never get inside of them. They never know what options are inside these doors." The program will place the students in several divisions within each company. First, however, they must pass a week-long learning-skills academy, during which they will improve their technology skills and talk about developing a business and functioning in the corporate world. "It's about building their confidence, creating a challenge, and sampling what it's like to work in a corporate environment," Wilson said. Before the students were assigned to a company, the company had to provide a specific job description. These students are not relegated to photocopying or secretarial work. "The kids participate directly in the meetings. They participate fully," Wilson said. The intern participation furthers one of the goals of Homestead Technologies, according to Stephanie Wong, Homestead's public relations coordinator. "Homestead stresses a team environment. The students are an integral part of the team, they need to do their share of work," Wong said. The students will work 40 hours a week through Aug. 17. Throughout the program they will create a Homestead Web site to demonstrate their skills. They will make $10 an hour, and have to give a multi-media presentation on their summer experiences when they graduate from the program. Each participant will receive a $1,000 scholarship from HP, as well as a printer, at the end of the program. Each student was screened by Wilson before being recommended for the program. Each qualifier had to have some computer and Internet skills, and every one of them had to be college-bound. "This year, I went to the local high school tech academies" to recruit students, Wilson said. "There's a focus on technology (there) but no hands-on way to apply what they're learning in class. This is really an opportunity in real life."

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Palo Alto Weekly USA Today Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal San Mateo County Times KGO-AM 810 (ABC) CNET Newsbytes Menlo Park Almanac San Jose Mercury News KRON-TV (NBC) KLIV-AM Print San Jose Mercury News Circulation: 286,700 "Presidential question builds bridge to students' future" Mike Cassidy August 20, 2001 Summary: Article appeared on the front page of the Local Section and gives overview of the internship program including how it began. Quotes are from Asia Meshack, LaNita Juniel, and Sharifa Wilson. Includes group photo of the interns. Menlo Park Almanac Circulation: 17,195 "In the homestretch" Ramin Satoodeh August 10, 2001 Summary: The Homestretch internship was the front page article leading to a full color spread in the center of the paper. Article featured interviews with Homestead interns as well as color photographs of several interns including LaToya DeRouen and Khalfani Jama. In addition, a photograph of all of this year's Homestretch interns working at Habitat for Humanity was included. Palo Alto Weekly Circulation: n/a "School's Out" Katy Chase July 18, 2001 Summary: Article talks about the Homestretch internship, including how it was started, the companies involved, details of intern pay and qualifications, quotes from Sharifa Wilson, Angela Perry, and the featured intern, Asia Meshack. Includes photos of Ayinde Tate, Khalfani Jama, and mentor Randy Lau. USA Today Circulation: 1,692,666 "Down Homestretch comes an education" Janet Kornblum July 3, 2001 Summary: Article discusses Jenny Torres' experience at Homestead and in the Homestretch program, her family life, how she's gained from her experience, her attendance of UC Berkeley, and her decision to become a programmer. Article also follows-up on last year's article by USA Today's Kornblum, highlighting Homestretch intern LaNita Juniel. Mentions her attendance of Clark Atlanta University as well as enlistment into the Air Force Reserve. Silicon Valley/ San Jose Business Journal Circulation: 14,000 "High-tech internships expanded" Samantha Sharp June 28, 2001 Summary: Talks about the Homestretch program, including how the program was started, the companies involved, and the criteria by which interns are picked. The program was developed to introduce academically strong students from disadvantaged areas into the high-tech world, and is currently being run by Homestead technologies, HP, and Applied Materials. San Mateo County Times Circulation: n/a "Interns ready for a high-tech summer" Clair A. McDevitt June 19, 2001 Summary: Primarily an interview with Sharifa Wilson, in this article she discusses how the Homestretch vision came about, how the program was started, how it has been expanded this year to include Hewlett Packard and Applied Materials, and the benefits students from East Palo Alto and Menlo Park derive from having the experience. Article also features a quote from Stephanie Wong, a member of Homestead's corporate communications team, wherein she discusses Homestead's belief in the importance of a team environment. Additionally, the article informs the reader as to the qualifications of each student in order to be involved in the program Television KRON-TV (NBC) Circulation: n/a August 17, 2001 Karl Sonkin Summary: Karl Sonkin reports live from Homestead and shows clips of the graduation. Interviews with Sharifa Wilson, representatives from HP and Applied Materials, and interns from each of the participating companies were included. The segment ran during the 4:00 news slot. Radio KGO-AM 810 (ABC) Circulation: n/a August 17, 2001 Summary: Sharifa Wilson talks with Lee Shell regarding the Homestretch interns graduating and the impact of the program. The segment ran 3 times during the 4:00pm to 7:00PM time slot. KLIV-AM Local Radio Circulation: n/a August 17, 2001 Summary: Sharifa Wilson talks about the Homestretch internship program and the graduation ceremony that took place. Sharifa mentions what the students learned from their work experience. KGO-AM 810 (ABC) Local Radio Circulation: n/a July 10, 2001 Summary: Justin discusses details of the Homestretch program this year, including mention of Applied Materials and HP's involvement this year. The segment ran during the morning commute hours. Online CNET Circulation: n/a "Homestead runs high-tech internship" Robert Lemos July 6, 2001 Summary: Article talks about aspects of the Homestretch program, such as number of interns, intern pay, companies involved, i.e. Homestead, HP, and Applied Materials, and a $1000 scholarship being offered at the end of the program. Newsbytes Circulation: n/a "Down Homestretch comes an education" Janet Kornblum July 3, 2001 Summary: Article discusses Jenny Torres' experience at Homestead and in the Homestretch program, her family life, how she's gained from her experience, her attendance of UC Berkeley, and her decision to become a programmer. Article also follows-up on last year's article by USA Today's Kornblum, highlighting Homestretch intern LaNita Juniel. Mentions her attendance of Clark Atlanta University as well as enlistment into the Air Force Reserve.