Shondra Tanner, front, with Scholars after a home lending presentation. Left to right: Amy Sauceda Gallegos, Kierra Thompson, Tianna Sharpless, Breanna Jones
Last week students from Durham Public Schools’ Scholars-at-Work Program participated in a workplace immersion at Self-Help’s offices in downtown Durham, NC. Activities included tours of Self-Help headquarters and development sites, learning about home lending, commercial real estate financing and maintaining good credit. Scholars-at-Work is a four-day workplace immersion experience at participating companies for DPS Career & Technical Education students in grades 10-12.
According to DPS, around 40% of Durham’s young people may not be on track to complete high school, achieve a post-secondary credential or obtain employment by age 25. Self-Help’s participating scholars were exposed to a professional office environment, financial literacy tips, resumé-building activities and potential career paths. They had the opportunity to attend Self-Help's April staff meeting, which focused on the organization's performance in 2017 and ongoing initiatives to have a positive impact on local political and social issues.
"I was truly inspired by how unapologetic Self-Help is about their mission. The coolest thing I learned was how Self-Help worries about creating home ownership for minorities.” said Amy, a graduating Senior from Northern High School.
Breanna from Northern High School said, “I was able to learn about personal finance to help prepare me for college.”
Rising junior Kierra, from the Southern School of Energy and Sustainability said, “The Director of Home Lending shared information about strategies to pay for college. Also, I was assured that if I continue to pursue my goals, hate and negativity can’t hold me back!”
“I enjoyed my time at Self-Help. Many might have thought it wasn’t a fun way to spend my spring break but I viewed it as an enriching experience toward my dream of being an entrepreneur,” said Tianna from the Southern School of Energy and Sustainability.
Now we're looking forward to a new class of summer interns beginning in just a few weeks. Learn more about careers at Self-Help and see current job opportunities here. Visit these links to learn about Scholars at Work and Self-Help's Community Development projects.