Beyond the Classroom: How PIN Internships Are Launching Achieve Atlanta Scholars Into Purpose-Driven Careers

Your Scholar journey is more than earning a degree. It’s discovering your passions, building confidence, and gaining experiences that will help shape your future career. 

That’s why Achieve Atlanta partners with the Partnership for Innovation (PIN). Through PIN, Achieve Atlanta Scholars gain access to paid, high-quality summer internships with mission-driven organizations focused on civic innovation, public-sector technology, and community development. These experiences allow Scholars to apply what they’re learning in the classroom while making meaningful contributions to projects that impact metro Atlanta. This year, 14 Achieve Atlanta Scholars participated in the Partnership for Innovation (PIN) program, making it our largest PIN Scholar cohort to date. 

The partnership bridges the gap between college and career, providing Scholars with opportunities to build professional skills, expand their networks, and gain real-world experience long before graduation day. 

Making an Impact on Metro Atlanta’s Future 

For John Yilu, an Achieve Atlanta Scholar and Industrial and Systems Engineering student at Georgia Tech, this summer’s internship was an opportunity to contribute to a project that is impacting the future of the region he calls home. 

John interned with the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), a governmental agency dedicated to advancing environmental sustainability and public well-being throughout metro Atlanta. He joined the team working on the Metro Atlanta Climate Action Plan (MACAP), an initiative aimed at helping the region achieve near net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. 

“It was exciting to work on something that could have a long-term impact on so many people,” John said. 

His role focused on developing key performance metrics for the project. The work required him to identify and collect data sources, clean and validate information, create documentation, develop data visualizations, and even build a mock dashboard to help stakeholders better understand progress toward climate goals. 

The results exceeded expectations. 

“Our team originally had a goal of creating 10 metrics,” John shared. “We ended up delivering 22, hitting 220% of our target.” 

When reflecting on the summer, John’s biggest lesson wasn’t tied to coding, data, or technology. Instead, it was about people. 

“My biggest takeaway from the experience was the importance of communication and networking,” he said. “I wouldn’t have been able to learn many of the skills I did if I hadn’t asked my manager or other employees questions. Actively communicating was one of the reasons our team was able to more than double our goal.” 

This experience is a reminder that career success isn’t built on technical skills alone. Learning how to collaborate, seek guidance, and build authentic relationships can often be just as important as what happens behind a computer screen. 

Turning Opportunity into Momentum 

John’s story is exactly why Achieve Atlanta’s partnership with PIN matters. 

By connecting Scholars with meaningful, paid internships, PIN creates opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience, explore potential career paths, and build professional networks while they’re still in college. Just as importantly, Scholars leave these experiences with greater confidence in their abilities and a clearer vision for their futures. 

Together, Achieve Atlanta and PIN are ensuring that Scholars don’t just make it through college. They’re helping them step into the workforce ready to lead, contribute, and make an impact from day one. 

Achieve Atlanta

Achieve Atlanta

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