Girls of Promise® - Women's Foundation of Arkansas

The Girls of Promise® is an initiative, presented by Acxiom, of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas, which exposes girls to opportunities and mentors in STEAM fields with the goal of increasing the number of women in higher-level STEAM courses, careers, and putting them on the path to achieve economic security as women.

About Girls of Promise®

Since 1999, more than 5,000 eighth-grade girls have been introduced to women with careers in STEM fields, participated in hands-on learning activities, and met other girls passionate about learning through Girls of Promise® conferences and other programs, presented by Acxiom. The initiative, which originally started as a two-day conference for eighth-grade girls, now also includes the Innovate for Good, formerly known as Tech for Good, Competition sponsored by AT&T, the Tjuana Byrd Summer Internship, presented by Stone Bank, and other programs for Arkansas girls through grantee partners.

All the programs through the initiative are completely free for participants. Learn more about the programs below.

Girls of Promise® Conference

The annual Girls of Promise® conference is open to 8th-grade girls who are interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math in Arkansas! Students will learn about various STEAM careers, enhance their skills, and meet women mentors excelling in their fields.

Girls of Promise® Conference

Tjuana Byrd Summer Internship Program

APPLY HERE!

The Women’s Foundation of Arkansas is proud to launch the fifth annual 2025 Tjuana Byrd Summer Internship Program, named after the Foundation’s first Black president. Through our Girls of Promise® initiative, presented by Acxiom, 70 girls have previously graduated from our internship program career ready! In partnership with several companies located in Arkansas, we will be offering a 12-week summer internship program for women of color attending college in Arkansas and pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, & Mathematics (finance & related majors included). Our internship program is intentionally designed to increase access to and representation in these fields for women of color in our state by eliminating barriers of cost, social capital, and location. Presented by Stone Bank, the companies’ that partner with us show a strong commitment to equity and generosity, the internship will pay $15-20 an hour, provide free housing for the duration of the program, travel stipends, networking opportunities and more.

APPLICATIONS WILL BE OPEN OCT 1, 2024 – DECEMBER 1, 2024

Program Details:

Paid Internship $15 – $20 an hour
Housing provided for duration of the program
Transportation and childcare stipend, if applicable
Networking opportunities and mentorship
Professional Development sessions created to boost career confidence

Eligibility:

Identify as a woman
Be a person of color and/or of a minority race or ethnicity
Pursuing a 2-year or 4-year degree in STEM fields (finance & related majors included) attending university in the state of Arkansas or be an Arkansas resident
Be a rising collegiate junior, senior, or recent graduate

Application Requirements:

One Letter of Recommendation
Resume
Unofficial transcript
Completed Application Questions

Past Participating Companies:

Acxiom
Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation
Arvest Bank
Garver Southwest
Power Pool
Stonebank
Windstream
CDI Contractors
and more!

Desired Majors/Minors

(This list is not exhaustive. If your major/minor is not listed, it does not disqualify you. Please still apply!!)

IT Business
Management
Accounting
Marketing
Environmental
Engineering
Physics
Microbiology
Automation
Graphic Design
Finance
Information Technology
Economics
Math
Cyber Security
Information Systems
Computer Science
Data Analytics
Electrical
Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Software Engineering
Civil Engineering
Agricultural Engineering
Geography Environmental
Science
Physical Science
Chemistry
Biology
Construction Management
Construction Engineering Technology

Arkansas Companies: Interested in hosting interns and increase your pool of qualified candidates for hire? Join us TODAY! Email [email protected] to learn of how your company can partner with us for the 2026 Tjuana Byrd Internship Program.

Thank you to all of our previous and current sponsors. We couldn’t do this without you!

Innovate for Good Competition

The Innovate for Good, formerly known as Tech for Good, competition challenges 6th – 12th-grade girls to team up and work together to develop an app, website, computer program, 3D printer template, or anything innovative (that incorporates technology) that they’re inspired to create! Teams are allowed to have up to 4 members. Each submission must either directly benefit, or provide a service to address a community need that is predetermined by Girls of Promise®. Innovate for Good allows girls to use their tech skills to make something that helps others!

OPEN TO SUBMISSIONS: Sep 3 – Dec 1

Learn More Here!

Coding Summits

We don’t currently have any coding summits planned for the near future.

Girls of Promise® hosts two coding summits a year–one in the summer & one during Computer Science Education Week in December. These programs are held in various parts of the state to ensure opportunity to girls across Arkansas. Previous summits have been held on the college campuses of the University of Central Arkansas, University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff, and Henderson State University. They have also been held on the corporate campuses of Southwest Power Pool and Acxiom Corporation, as well as the Governor’s Mansion.

These half-day programs are completely free & first come, first serve. There are usually 80-150 spots available for girls to attend.

Girls of Promise® Sponsors

Thank you so much for sponsoring Girls of Promise® this year! Our Girls of Promise® programs are ONLY possible because of amazing support from sponsors and volunteers! Listed below are this year’s sponsors and their level of sponsorship.