General | 4/17/2025 11:34:00 AM
DURHAM, N.C. – Two North Carolina Central student-athletes will get the opportunity of a lifetime in May.
Football player Malcolm Reed and track/cross country athlete Corey Little will intern at Cisco, a global leader in technology, from May 5-9. They were selected through the company’s Student-Athlete Micro-Internship Program.
Reed and Little are the first-ever NCCU student-athletes chosen for the program, which started in 2018. Overall, Cisco chose six paid interns with four student-athletes coming from other institutions.
“We are excited that Corey and Malcolm have been selected for this opportunity,” said Lucy Mason, NCCU Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Experience. “Experiential learning is a key component to professional growth and helps connect what students learn in the classroom with real world situations.”
To be eligible for the program, a student-athlete must be a rising junior or senior with at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average and demonstrate an interest in Cisco sales.
Both Reed and Little fit the criteria, according to Carl De Groote, Vice President for U.S. Federal at Cisco.
“Participation in sports instills critical qualities such as discipline, teamwork, perseverance, and a relentless work ethic – qualities that are equally essential for success in the professional world,” De Groote said. “We are thrilled to offer these two talented student-athletes from NCCU the opportunity to apply their skills through this internship with Cisco’s sales.”
Reed and Little, both majoring in information technology, will spend the week learning about Cisco and its customers at the company’s Research Triangle Park campus in Morrisville, N.C. During their internship, they will learn about Cisco and its customers, shadow Cisco Sales team members and give a presentation to sales leadership.
The internship is designed to help student-athletes gain practical sales exposure. The experience will prove beneficial when they begin their work careers after college.
“First and foremost, I want to thank God for this amazing opportunity,” Little said. “I’m incredibly grateful and excited to be selected for the Cisco micro-internship opportunity. It’s a chance for me to gain hands-on experience within the tech field and to grow alongside talented peers such as Malcolm Reed. I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can and making the most of this experience.”
The internship is another example that NCCU student-athletes uphold high standards in academics as well as athletics.
“I am very grateful for this opportunity and it wouldn’t be anywhere near possible without God and the people around me trying to help better myself,” Reed said.
