Evelyn Maliza interned at a public relations firm during her senior year, as part of our internship program with MESA Charter High School. Not only did Evelyn get the opportunity to explore a potential career path but she also gained valuable experience juggling competing responsibilities.
“I reference Futures and Options with my ability to have good time management and be organized and responsible with a job and schoolwork, which is something I can use in college and any other future job that I will have,” Evelyn said. She adds that Futures and Options helped her explore options for careers she may want to pursue in the future and enabled her to grow alongside program participants with similar career aspirations. After completing another Futures and Options internship through our Urban Leadership Fellows program, Evelyn is now a freshman at University at Albany in the Honors College. “Futures and Options has really made me into the person I am today.”
More ↓Riddhi Patel participated in Healthcare Career Essentials, a healthcare career development program made possible with support from Impact 100 NYC. For the workshop’s final project, students worked together to devise a healthcare brand or app and pitched it to a panel of volunteer judges.
“It resonated with what I want to do in the future, and I really enjoyed doing that because I was able to focus on my communications, my public speaking, and brainstorming and creating new ideas,” she said. The healthcare guest speaker series and career expo also helped Riddhi learn about diverse career options in the healthcare field. “I’m really grateful that Futures and Options is allowing me see what I am interested in at a young age.”
More ↓As a rising college freshman, Nathanael Lopez completed an engaging internship at the New York City Comptroller’s office, which exposed him to the business field at a pivotal time in his youth. Through this experience, he discovered a passion for business that propelled him to study it in college and pursue it as a career.
“I got to meet all these people from investment banks with different backgrounds and experiences, and being able to interact with those people helped me find out what my passion is,” he said. Today he remains involved with Futures and Options as a part of our alumni network, attending events that provide career resources and networking opportunities for program graduates. Nathanael recently attended an entrepreneurship panel that he found particularly valuable. “I got to interact with a lot of entrepreneurs there and I got to learn a lot of different things that I’m going to use in my own path” he said. “It’s also given me the drive to continue looking for business opportunities.”
More ↓Tatiana Arevalo’s participation in Career Essentials provided her with valuable career exploration and motivation, opening up her eyes to new professions and potential career interests. She particularly enjoyed the career exploration field trip to financial company Kroll.
“We met the staff and the leaders were women that spoke about their experiences, which was very motivating to see,” she said. Tatiana also valued the Futures and Options workshops and exercises on professional communication, which she has already put into practice. “I enjoyed learning communication skills because knowing how to communicate with my supervisor and learning how to send proper emails in my upcoming internship is very helpful,” she said. Most importantly, Tatiana graduated from Career Essentials motivated to seek opportunities for further learning and armed with the skills needed for success.
More ↓Ezinne Irozuru gained a unique introduction to the world of art and art history in the Christie’s internship she completed during high school. Christie’s was the perfect work environment for Ezinne to explore her love of art, meet people with similar career goals, and grow more confident in her abilities and contributions to the team.
“I was able to step outside my comfort zone because at Christie’s, it involved a lot of talking, teamwork, and collaborating,” Ezinne said. “Christie’s was a nice collaborative environment and they always encouraged me, and said ‘you shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions.’” Another special aspect of the internship was her work on an art exhibit that gave her exclusive access to the artwork. “There were a lot of unique art pieces I saw and it really opened my eyes to different artists that I never knew,” she said. “I do plan to minor in art in college, so I think the internship was perfect for me.”
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