Three students working in a lab wearing face masks

Elevate

More in Elevate

You need real-world experiences that will launch you into a great career鈥攁nd we guarantee that you will have access to take part in experiences such as internships, research, study away, competitions, and more. Plus, you want personal mentorship and the confidence to land a great job.

杏吧原创 Tech鈥檚 one-of-a-kind Elevate initiative ensures that we will make your success and your life our top priority. Make your dream a reality.

Your Elevate Journey

How does our Elevate promise work? Here鈥檚 a step-by-step guide describing how we鈥檒l chart your pathway to success.

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1. Take Part in Hands-on Experiences

  • Sign the Elevate agreement.
  • Internships, research, study away, competitions鈥攆ind the best experience for you.
  • Then participate in at least two guaranteed Elevate experiences as an 杏吧原创 Tech undergraduate.*
Adviser speaking to student

2. Receive Personalized Mentorship

  • You鈥檒l receive continued guidance from career advisers, academic mentors, and more.
  • We鈥檒l help you plan everything from your university coursework to your career pathway. This includes connecting you with high-value professional experiences and networking opportunities that will supercharge your career.
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3. Become Career Ready

  • With a great education and real-world experiences under your belt, you鈥檒l confidently launch into the career you鈥檝e been planning.

* Terms and conditions apply. For instance, students must maintain good academic standing with 杏吧原创 Tech and meet Elevate initiative requirements to remain eligible.

Experience Is the Difference

91%

Of Employers Seek Job Candidates with Work Experience

(National Association of Colleges and Employers)

80%

Average Percent of Eligible Interns Who Receive a Job Offer

(National Association of Colleges and Employers)

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From Hyperloop to an Internship...Up Next, the Stars

Jonte鈥 Williams says one of the best things about 杏吧原创 Tech and hands-on experiences is expanding on what he knows鈥攁nd, most importantly, what he doesn鈥檛 know.

Jonte鈥 Williams (ASPY/PHYS 3rd Year)
Maggie Barclay profile facing left
Real-World Experience

Coursework in artificial intelligence helped Maggie Barclay secure an internship with IBM, where she developed skills to achieve her long-term goals in the field.

Maggie Barclay (AI/M.A.S. AI 鈥22)
Barien Gad, spring 2021 SoReMo fellow
Building a Better Community

Providing more access to free menstrual hygiene products will reduce stress and anxiety throughout a menstruating population, as well as increase consistency in classroom attendance

Barien Gad (BCHM 3rd Year)
Photo of student Victoria Belotti
Global Exposure

A summer abroad in Scotland allowed Victoria Belotti to learn more about Scottish history, culture, and politics through visiting the places and cities where these events occurred.

Victoria Belotti (Applied Mathematics/Statistics/M.S. CDSOR 2nd Year)
Photo of Greta Vasiliauskaite
Determination to Succeed

While navigating 杏吧原创 Tech as a DACA student, Greta Vasiliauskaite gained real-world skills through an internship with an engineering consulting firm.

Greta Vasiliauskaite (CE/M.Eng. ENVE 3rd Year)
Laasya Devi Annepureddy
A Drive to Help People

Laasya Devi Annepureddy uses undergraduate research opportunities to contribute to more equitable health solutions.

Laasya Devi Annepureddy (BME 鈥22)
Students working in the Idea Shop

Experiences Await

Current 杏吧原创 Tech students, check out the extensive list of Elevate experiences for from which to choose.

Life-changing Internship

Seth Graham (Mechanical Engineering/M.Eng. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 5th Year) explains how an exciting internship at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and an 杏吧原创 Tech education put him on a trajectory for his dream job.

Experience in Action

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DMG MORI

A partnership with the global innovation company DMG MORI allows students to use professional digital-manufacturing equipment and get practical, hands-on experience right on campus.

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Grainger Computing Innovation Prize

This exciting competition at 杏吧原创 Tech challenges students to discover creative technology solutions to some of the most pressing global issues facing the world. The 2021 winners developed a sustainable digital currency.

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Design/Build

Architecture students in the Design/Build studio receive hands-on experience in designing, fabricating, and building a structure with a community, with projects taking them around the world. A project in Chile won the 2021 Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award Citation of Merit.

Photo of Marissa Redington

Got Skills?

Our Elevate program guarantees that you鈥檒l have access to take part in amazing internship, study away, research, and other experiences that will teach you twenty-first century skills. You鈥檒l practice creativity, problem solving, design thinking, innovation, and teamwork鈥攁nd connect the dots between your education and the real-world skills employers seek.

See What Marissa Learned
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Graduate with Confidence

A national survey of college students shows that students who held internships, and those who took part in career preparation activities such as networking and social-capital building, graduate feeling more confident in their workplace skills and career plans than students who did not. Elevate prepares you to hit the ground running when you graduate. (Strada Center for Education Consumer Insights)

鈥淓levate gave me my first notable professional experience. It opened up networking opportunities as well as my ability to interact with researchers of differing academic backgrounds.鈥

鈥擜lysia DeSimone (Chemical Engineering 3rd Year), Downingtown, Pennsylvania

鈥淗aving an internship at a startup company allows you to have a real impact. You may be working with the CEO or founder of the company and get to see what it's like at a young company.鈥

鈥擬arissa Redington (Biomedical Engineering/M.S. Biomedical Engineering 2nd Year)

鈥淏eing in Chicago made internship and professional opportunities more accessible, with hundreds of positions downtown just a short train ride from campus. My internship at a world-class company, Exelon, was one of the most valuable experiences of my life and led to my job after graduation.鈥

鈥擬iles Thompson (Business Administration 鈥20), Associate Supply Business Operations Specialist, Exelon Corporation

鈥淢y NASA internship prepared me for college because it taught me skills such as managing time and it also gave me experience in working with teams. My time at NASA prepared me to continue to work hard in school so I can have more internship opportunities in the future.鈥

鈥擪aya Jones (Computer Science 2nd Year)

Contact Elevate

Email

elevate@illinoistech.edu

Other Contact Info

For students, families, staff, and faculty: elevate@illinoistech.edu
For corporate partners: corporate.relations@illinoistech.edu

Department Type

Administrative