Robert F. Smith is a billionaire and the founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. His commitment to supporting education and expanding career opportunities comes from his own early experience. When Smith was in high school, he repeatedly called Bell Labs to request an internship even though the program was intended for college students. He called every week until a college student did not show up, and Bell Labs finally offered him the spot.
In his 2015 commencement speech at American University’s School of International Service, Smith described the moment clearly.
"I called every Monday for about five months, and every Monday the receptionist chuckled and took a message. I kept at it. To my great surprise, Bell Labs' HR director finally called me back," Smith said.
He has publicly explained that this internship helped him earn money for college and introduced him to engineering work that shaped the direction he chose for his future.
In May 2019, Smith gave the commencement speech at Morehouse College. During this speech, he announced that he would pay off the student loan debt for the entire graduating class. Morehouse College confirmed that the gift covered 396 students and totaled about $34 million. National and international news outlets reported on the donation, and the moment was widely recognized as one of the most notable commencement announcements in recent years.
A 2024 study in the Journal of Student Financial Aid examined the Morehouse College Class of 2019 that received Smith's gift. It reported that students from lower income backgrounds faced greater barriers to paid internships and were more likely to rely on unpaid roles. The study highlighted a difficult reality. Many students who could benefit the most from early career experience are often the ones who cannot afford to take unpaid positions and who lack access to professional networks.
In 2014, Smith created a nonprofit called Fund II Foundation. After his 2019 Morehouse gift, he continued expanding long-term support for students through the Student Freedom Initiative, a nonprofit designed to support students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) by providing alternatives to traditional student loans and expanding opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math fields. The initiative later launched the internXL career platform. InternXL connects more than 30,000 STEM students with paid internships at companies in technology, engineering, business, finance, and other industries.
InternXL partners with companies that seek diverse talent and works with students from HBCUs, Minority Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges. The platform connects students with paid internships, training resources, and professional opportunities, and works with about 300 employer partners. Its employer partners include major organizations such as AT&T, PwC, Deloitte, Citi, and Vista Equity Partners.
Students using internXL can access learning modules in areas such as cloud computing, cybersecurity, data skills, and project management. The platform also provides resume building tools, interview preparation resources, and connections to employers that offer paid internships.
When programs like internXL increase access to paid internships, the impact reaches far beyond a single work experience. It helps students who have faced financial pressure, family responsibility, or limited opportunity gain real-world exposure that can change the direction of their lives. It gives them a chance to build a future that once felt out of reach and turns possibility into something solid and achievable.
Smith signed the Giving Pledge in 2017, and promised to give away 99% of his wealth to philanthropic causes.
Smith published Lead Boldly: Seven Principles from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and it was endorsed by the King Center. The book draws directly on Dr. King's leadership principles and highlights how those lessons can guide the use of wealth to create opportunity and give back to communities.
Smith continues to provide valuable insight on how college students can make the most of their internships, which he shares on his official website.
