INROADS is all about giving a helping hand.  We know that in order to succeed and reach a goal, all a person sometimes needs is a boost from someone else who will encourage them and open doors they may otherwise see as closed.  It is no different for young people trying to achieve their educational and career goals.  INROADS has been that helping hand to a number of young people for the past 45 years.

In 1970, a business executive by the name of Frank C. Carr recognized that students from ethnic “minority” groups faced a greater challenge in getting their foot in the door of some of the nation’s major corporations.  So he decided to do something about it.  What Mr. Carr did was to quit his corporate level executive position in order to work on gaining support for and implementing his idea of helping young minority college students gain entry into some of the major Fortune 500 companies in the U.S.  He began working at night to support himself while calling on corporations and colleges/universities during the day.  As a result of his efforts, he was able to launch INROADS in 1970 in his hometown of Chicago with 25 college students and 17 sponsoring corporations.

Today, INROADS is headquartered in St. Louis, MO.  They have grown into an international organization with offices in the United States, Canada and Mexico.  They have over 28 offices serving approximately 2,000 interns at over 200 companies.  Their purpose today continues to be the goal created by Mr. Carr — they identify, develop and place talented underserved college students (African American, Native American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, etc.) in paid internship positions at some of the leading Fortune 500 companies.  In many instances, those placements lead to students being offered permanent positions with the companies upon graduation.  In addition to paid corporate internships, students are also provided with a corporate mentor and given leadership training, on-going coaching, access to scholarships, free tutoring (if needed), and an understanding of how to become a high performer.

Corporate internships are only offered to college level students, however, a person can began their involvement with INROADS during their senior year of high school.  The criteria for application to INROADS for a high school senior is that they apply to and receive their acceptance letter from an accredited college or university.

Acceptance into INROADS is available to minority students throughout the United States.  It does not matter whether you live in a major city, small town or rural area.  INROADS offices are divided into regions and upon your acceptance into the program, you will be assigned to the regional office closet to your home address.

For more information and to apply to INROADS, please visit their website at www.inroads.org

The address and phone number for INROADS headquarters is as follows:

INROADS, INC.

10 South Broadway,  Suite 300 ;    St Louis,  MO  63102

Phone #:   314-214-7844                Fax #:  314-241-9325