MOBILE, Ala. — A summer internship program built to keep young talent in Mobile is leaning more heavily on personal relationships to make that happen, city and Chamber officials say, after this year’s expansion of a new mentorship track paired college interns with local young professionals.
FuelAL: Mobile is the local arm of a statewide talent attraction initiative led by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama and funded by Innovate Alabama. Each summer, cities across the state host interns from around the country and tailor programming to show off what makes their communities distinct. In Mobile, that has meant professional development sessions, joint social mixers with Young Professionals of Mobile, and direct access to local leaders, including Mobile Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis.
This year, the Mobile Chamber added a new layer to that experience: the Fuel the Future mentorship program, which pairs interns with members of Young Professionals of Mobile for relationships that extend beyond a single summer.
A Deeper Connection to the City
For Nicanor Requena, a senior at Spring Hill College studying computer science with minors in supply chain management, AI and data science, and mathematics, the mentorship component reshaped how he sees his future in Mobile. Requena, who is originally from Belize, moved to the city in 2024 to continue his education and spent this summer interning with Norton Lilly International.
Through the program, Requena was matched with Tripp Tremayne of Sam Winter & Company, who offered more than career advice. Tremayne gave Requena a firsthand look at what it means to build a life in Mobile, including time spent with his family and insight into his community involvement.
“Being able to see someone so driven and just getting after it, I think that’s pretty inspiring for me,” Requena said.
Requena said the relationship changed his outlook on the opportunities available locally.
“Since I’ve come to Mobile, I think this is probably my favorite place in the world,” he said. “I’ve heard people say there’s not as much opportunity or that you have to leave Mobile to find it. But I’ve learned that every door that’s closed is only closed until you knock on it here in Mobile.”
Mentors Come Full Circle
The mentorship program has also drawn in past FuelAL participants who now want to give back. Kelly DeVoe of the Better Business Bureau went through FuelAL as an intern in 2024 and wasn’t sure at the time that Mobile was where she wanted to start her career. The relationships she built during the program ultimately convinced her to stay, and this year she returned as a mentor.
“I was interested in being a mentor because I was deeply impacted by the people who invested in me as a FuelAL intern a couple of years ago, and I wanted the opportunity to invest in the next group of interns,” DeVoe said. “I hoped to not only teach an intern more about the professional world and life in Mobile, but also be a familiar face they could rely on during the summer and, if they chose to return, throughout their career in Mobile.”
DeVoe was paired with Meredith Hamrick, a fellow Delta Gamma alumna from the University of Southern Mississippi whom she already knew personally.
“It was such a privilege to walk with her and see how much she’s grown,” DeVoe said. “It was great getting to talk about life in Mobile and how post-grad life has been such a gift.”
DeVoe said she hopes the mentorship program continues to grow and have the same lasting impact on future interns that FuelAL had on her own decision to build a career in Mobile.
Part of a Broader Talent Strategy
FuelAL fits into a larger effort by Alabama cities to compete for young professionals amid a national talent shortage in fields like technology, logistics, and skilled trades. By connecting college students and recent graduates directly with employers and community leaders during the internship period, organizers hope to convert temporary summer placements into long-term residents and workers.
The 2026 FuelAL: Mobile program has concluded for the summer. Employers interested in hosting interns, or students interested in applying for the 2027 program, can contact Olivia Griffiths at ogriffiths@mobilechamber.com.