Step Up alum Zemzem is ready to take on the world

Step Up alum Zemzem Siyad is crystal clear about her future: she wants to become a software engineer or data scientist, and then earn a law degree and become a patent lawyer.

How could a college freshman have such a clear vision of her future? Zemzem attributes this professional clarity to Step Up. "I found Step Up to be one of the greatest programs for high school students to prepare for the real world," she says. "I had my most impactful internship at Xcel Energy, which gave me job experience and connections.”

Zemzem didn’t know a lot about the natural environment when she began her Xcel internship with a fuel source project focused on resource protection. “Xcel Energy wants to be gas-free by 2030. I helped research how they can transition to a coal-free future. It was nice to see the goals and a timeline of what they want to accomplish and be a part of the project.”

Zemzem also worked in Xcel’s corporate compliance department. “I was part of the team that checked the background of new hires,” she says. “I reviewed, fact-checked and closed over 100 annual disclosure forms. I also emailed and tracked responses from 33 different staff. I learned software programs and throughout the process, I was able to strengthen my project management, teamwork, email and communication skills.”

Although Zemzem’s Xcel internship was remote, she still had the opportunity to do Zoom interviews with employees on different career paths and was happy to meet some who were going to law school while working at Xcel. She also applied and received a $5,000 college scholarship from Xcel.

Zemzem’s supervisor Maria Zahhos - seen in in this photo with her - is a compliance and ethics analyst with Xcel Energy. “Zemzem was very driven, inquisitive and seemed ready to take on the world,” she says. “She had a variety of interests in law school, engineering, international business and HR, and spent much of her free time volunteering to help others. She also took a pre-calculus class in addition to working, volunteering, taking care of siblings at home, and just being a young adult in her last summer before college.”

Zemzem completed multiple Step Up internships while she was a student at Southwest High School, and she says each internship taught her something new. “I learned how to work with children and be a teacher’s assistant during my first internship at Pillsbury. I learned how to operate independently in an office during my second internship at the University of Minnesota. My third internship at Hennepin County taught me how to work from home and evaluate returned absentee ballots to ensure they met the legal requirements for counting. And in my last internship at Xcel Energy, I learned how to work remotely with a team and communicate throughout the day. All of these internships gave me real-life work experience in high-value companies.”

A graduate of Southwest High School, Zemzem is majoring in computer science and business management at the University of Minnesota. She is one of nine children and a first-generation college student in her family. “I was able to come into college with real-life work experience because of Step Up,” she says. “I have friends who didn’t have this kind of opportunity.”

Supervisor Maria says Step Up “allows employers such a unique chance to connect with the immense talent in our community and connect with them at such a formative and important time in their lives. The program is a win-win for everyone. Interns help complete valuable work tasks for companies, and employers are able to help develop the next generation of leaders.”

Zemzem, we look forward to your future career and leadership and can’t wait to see where you go!

Learn more about Step Up summer internships for Minneapolis youth.