Bowie State

But after a tour of HBCUs this summer coordinated by Price’s organization, Dennis-Plesant has set his sights on Bowie State University in Maryland.

“To be honest with you, it’s a brutal process,” said Rose Shumba, the chair of Bowie State’s computer science department, referring to the internship application process at many large tech firms.

The Bowie State program addresses socioeconomic barriers — like lack of technical work experience or industry connections — that can hinder some students from getting internships.

This year, Adobe started its own internship program with Bowie State, focused on cybersecurity.

Rose Shumba, right, chair of the computer science department at Bowie State University, helped set up a program that aided Roxan Rockefeller, left, a junior majoring in computer science.