For this past summer’s internship program, due to the pandemic, our summer research program offered virtual research opportunities to 7 high school students from California. Through the program, the students learned how to design and carry out experiments under the direct mentorship of a graduate student or post-doctoral fellow within a stem cell based research lab. These 7 students also attended lectures in the stem cell field which were focused on the fundamentals of stem cell biology and the techniques involved. They also attended joint group lectures on a variety of topics and special seminars on topics such as how to write a research abstract, create a research poster and an overview of the various careers in science. They had the opportunity through these joint lectures to hear from famous Faculty in various fields including specialists in bone marrow transplantation and other stem cell fields. During the summer, the students also had the opportunity to hear from a representative from a major bone marrow registry organization and attend weekly lab meetings and other virtual social events. At the end of the program, these students presented an oral powerpoint presentation within their group and they also presented their research poster at the CIRM program-wide poster day with all the other participating schools/institutes. All the students successfully finished their research projects and gave great presentations. For many of these students, this was the first time they had an opportunity to work on a research project. As these students came from very diverse backgrounds, this experience had a profound impact on how they viewed scientific research and the many career options that they could explore in the future. This experience also taught them valuable techniques and skills that they will be able to use in future lab experiences in college and graduate school. The students had the opportunity to meet other students who were excited about science research and through the many small group sessions, they were also able to build strong peer relationships within the group. These students were also able to learn the value of what it means to work collaboratively as part of a lab and to have interactions with other trained scientists within the lab. Furthermore, because of this opportunity, one of the major benefits was the self confidence that could be built in these students as they were able to contribute in a meaningful way to each lab’s research aims. Overall, the internship provided students from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to engage in cutting edge research in stem cell biology and to be part of the pipeline of students who will be our future researchers.