How the Audible Future Leaders Program Propels Interns Toward Success

Irfan Rathore kick-started his Audible journey at 15 years old, seizing an opportunity that he felt would set him apart from most of his peers. “Growing up in Newark, seeing a program like this – it's quite rare,” he says. “I can attest that pursuing this program was one of the best decisions I made in high school.”

Recognizing that only two percent of U.S. students have the opportunity to intern in high school, the Audible Future Leaders program offers local students in Newark, New Jersey and other Audible hubs a paid internship opportunity beginning in high school, with an option to continue into college. Launched in 2007, the year Audible moved its headquarters to Newark, the program allows interns to work alongside employees across the company to gain valuable skills.

Rathore’s internship began in 2021, and over his three years in the program he worked across several teams, including global insights and data science, data excellence and IT. He spent his days attending Science Park High School in Newark, and his afternoons at our IT helpdesk. “I would be in class looking forward to going to the office,” he says. “My managers were always supportive and understanding, and removed the intimidation factor from working in an office environment. They always gave us the opportunity to do our best and make the most of our time at Audible.”

Because of his experience at Audible, Rathore is pursuing a data science computing major at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). “I wouldn’t have done that without seeing first-hand how the data team distributed live data sets to the company. Functions that ran day and night amazed me, and made me more curious and passionate about this work,” he adds.

With several semesters at Audible under his belt, Rathore returned this summer as a software development engineer intern – the first of our high school interns to transition into our tech internship program for college students, which exposes students to hands-on learning and development opportunities, creating a pathway to launch their careers.

From learning data visualization to navigating projects that have external impact, Rathore says the Audible Future Leaders program helped him gain the self-confidence to succeed and pursue his dream of becoming a data scientist. “Being able to engage with other professionals, apply what I’ve learned in my past internships and school, as well as innovate in a professional space, is the most priceless thing I received from this experience. This program forced me out of my comfort zone in the most positive way,” he says.

Similarly, Akira Caruth found herself at Audible for several years, starting off as a high school junior attending North Star High School in 2015 and completing her internship in 2020 shortly before graduating Tufts University. She currently lives in New York City, working as a project manager on Peacock’s marketing team where she creates promotional assets for its Original Unscripted True Crime series, reality programs like Love Island USA and more.

Caruth attributes the growth in her current role to the connections, skills and community she gained throughout her Audible Future Leaders experience, supporting our social media and learning and development teams during her internship.

“Audible has a culture of supporting everyone while enabling them to enjoy the work they do. My managers made networking easy for me when I didn't really know how to network or the importance of this skill,” Caruth says. “From the beginning of my internship, I was encouraged to be vocal and share what I was interested in. It was nice to have people be so receptive to my ideas.”

Caruth also said she was always encouraged to show up as herself to work. “I didn’t have to move from ‘school mode’ into ‘work mode,’” she says. “Showing up as who you are is something I took away from Audible and apply in my career today. Audible is still one of my favorite places to work because of the culture, as much as they value getting the work done, they also value forming lasting relationships on teams.”

Aisha Glover, Audible’s Global Head of Urban Innovation, oversees the team leading the growth of the program and expanding its reach beyond Newark. “The Audible Future Leaders program is one of our flagship efforts and a powerful way for employees to carry out our Activate Caring People Principle. Through the program, we continuously show up for Newark, for students, and for our employees who find being an intern manager such a rewarding experience,” Glover says. “I can’t think of a better way to address issues of equity and access than to provide direct opportunities for young people to learn our business and gain lifelong skills.”

In addition to the career benefits of starting an internship in high school, for Caruth, Rathore and other Future Leaders, the opportunity to work a paid internship provided them with more financial security and the ability to help support their families. According to a research study on the Audible Future Leaders program, 92% of Audible Future Leaders say that the internship stipend was very important in securing financial stability during college, with 73% stating it was ‘extremely’ important.

For Rathore, this aspect of the program had the biggest impact outside of gaining professional skills and knowledge. “To be able to get the experiences my siblings were getting throughout their time in college or after they graduated was so eye-opening, and getting a chance to help my family thrive as well, at such a young age, was just another plus, especially when most of my peers were unable to help their families outside of school,” he says.

“Audible gives so much back to Newark, not only with this internship program, but by helping creatives in the area by constantly providing opportunities and opening doors for those who may not know how to open them for themselves,” Caruth says. “Newark is always a place I return to when I want to collaborate with my peers and creatives.”