My name is Shavone Brown, and I recently graduated from Winston-Salem State University with a bachelor of science degree. My major was business administration and finance with a concentration in corporate finance. I was born and raised in Washington, D.C. 

I learned about the Minority Educational Institution Student Partnership Program (MEISPP) from my older sister. She thought this would be a great opportunity for me to get hands-on experience and to work for the government. 

I have participated in MEISPP for the past three summers. This summer I worked at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. I worked on the Ideas Project on the Performance Excellence, Lean Six Sigma team under the supervision of Carlos Juarez and Megan Houchin. Lean Six Sigma is a method for developing a culture of continuous improvement to acquire mission success. The Ideas Program is designed to reward employees for submitting cost-efficient ideas. My project was to reduce the backlog of submitted ideas. I developed a standardized step-by-step disposition checklist and trained Y-12 employees to use it. Disposition can mean to:

• “Approve for Implementation” because the idea is cost-efficient
• “Reroute” because it may be a good idea but doesn’t necessarily fit into the mission area or organization
• "Decline" because it is not cost-efficient or already in place 

My proudest moment this summer was the Intern Expo, where I shared what I did this summer with other Y-12 employees. I received feedback that people were impressed with my presentation and are looking for possible jobs for me at Y-12. 

Applying to MEISPP is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I made lifelong friends, networked, and learned a lot of new things. I have been challenged beyond my potential and will forever be grateful to MEISPP.