Southwest Airlines partners with Paul Quinn College in urban work program

The Dallas-based carrier will provide internships in its network operations control center and finance department through the college’s urban work program. It’ll also become the college’s official airline.

“There are not very many colleges in the country that have an official airline,” Sorrell said. “That’s just unique. So you’re part of an institution that is continuously finding ways of pushing the envelope and reimagining what colleges and universities are capable of doing.”

Laura Nieto, director of community outreach at Southwest Airlines, said the partnership had been in the works for about a year. Southwest Airlines provided air travel for Paul Quinn College in the 2022 United Small College Athletic Association Division I Championship. (The college won the basketball tournament.)

“As Southwest Airlines’ goals started to evolve, we looked to diversify our talent pipeline, and engage with schools and colleges across the country, and in particular HBCUs,” Nieto said. “There was no time like the present to be able to engage in a partnership.”

One intern will begin in the spring, Nieto said. After that, two or three will start next fall, after both entities evaluate how to make the internship as successful as it can be. Interns will be placed at Southwest headquarters.

Sorrell said the partnership presents a direct pipeline for students to have an aviation career at Southwest.

“Opportunities like this don’t just magically happen without an environment that is filled with advocates, and people who understand what community partners and investments really look like,” he said.

In May, Paul Quinn’s 95 graduates, the largest class since 2008, were surprised with a $250,000 investment fund at their graduation. In 10 years, 2022 graduates can access the fund — seeded by a $250,000 gift from a historic Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va.