On July 25, TechPoint wrapped up its 2025 Xtern experience with our Xtern Farewell & Awards Lunch. We recapped Xtern achievements from the 10-week program, celebrated award winners and recognized our employer partners who make this program possible.

What is Xtern?

Xtern is a summer program for college students who are recruited and interviewed to earn placement with an employer for a full-time paid internship. Xterns work alongside leaders at some of the state’s fastest-growing tech companies, and experience the vibrant and growing work environment the state of Indiana provides.

The Value of Xtern for Students

Xterns learn vital job skills in a real-world work environment, gain opportunities to enhance their growing skillsets, and develop lasting connections with Indiana workforce leaders. Xterns also get structured opportunities to get actively involved in their community through civic engagement and hands-on volunteering.

The program helps place them with a full-time summer employment opportunity, covers their housing for the summer, and includes access to networking and relationship-building opportunities with industry leaders and other students.

xterns listen intently to a presenter discussing the hackathon competition

Many of this summer’s Xterns will get opportunities to continue their internships through the fall, or even lead to a full-time opportunity down the road. Part of the mission of the program is to make an investment in these future leaders, helping to grow our tech ecosystem.

Additionally, many of our employer partners are proactive in supporting the ongoing development of these Xterns. Whether it’s through a letter of recommendation, an introduction to someone in their network, or just periodic check-ins throughout the next semester, or checking in on their resume development to help them articulate their summer experiences, the employers who participate in the program play an invaluable role in our Xterns’ futures.

The Value of Xtern for Employers

Employers have the opportunity to tap into the next wave of outstanding young talent – often leading to a fall internship or even full-time employment after the student graduates.

Throughout the summer, students live on campus together and share their experiences working for your company with their peers. Xtern is a built-in marketing opportunity to help employers enhance their brand name with current college students, who will go back to school and rave about what they did over the summer.

The Xtern program takes care of their after-hours; offers housing; and provides professional development, civic engagement, and social activities to create a great summer internship experience. 

When surveyed at the conclusion of the program, 97% of our Xterns rated their experience with their employer as positive. And the impact on the larger Indiana tech community was also profound: 86% of Xterns had a positive impression of the Indiana tech community when surveyed at the conclusion of the program, compared to just a 31% positive impression before the program.

Xtern Awards for Summer 2025

After an unforgettable summer that will make a lasting impact on this year’s Xterns, we celebrated our students, employers, and all who contributed to this program with our Farewell & Awards Lunch hosted at the NCAA Hall of Fame. Let’s recap the Xterns, mentors, and employers who went above and beyond this summer.

Xtern Value Awards 

The Xtern Value Awards recognize participants from the program who live up to these highly important values. Congratulations to this year’s recipients and the organizations that welcomed and supported them (pictured below, left to right): 

Gratitude – Jiwon Lee
Growth – Jackson Stone
Grit – Joshua Dieter
Inclusion – Jordan Hindes
Investment – Preet Singh

Xtern Employer Awards

The summer of 2025 marked a first for the Xtern program, with the debut of two new awards: Mentor of the Year and Employer of the Year.

These awards were determined by nominations from our Xterns. They did a fantastic job advocating for their employers, as well as their mentors. We plan to continue this new tradition!

Mentor of the Year: Mohammed Ishaq Muzammil, Cummins

Mentor of the Year Nominees

Employer of the Year: Sallie Mae

Sallie Mae mentors and Xterns celebrate the company being announced as Employer of the Year at the 2025 Xtern Awards Lunch

Employer of the Year Nominees

Xtern 2026 Update

As we look ahead to next year, we’re excited to kick off planning for the Xtern Class of 2026. The TechPoint team has had valuable conversations with industry partners and is eager to build on and improve the program.

Retention remains a core focus, and key elements like housing and weekend programming will stay the same. However, in response to industry needs, we will be making changes to the recruitment and admissions process.

Interested in learning if Xtern is the right fit for your company? We’re ready to help! Just contact us at talent@techpoint.org.