The Living Proof Alumni stories from PYN-managed programs
This book was created by young people who worked at the Philadelphia Youth Network as part of the Bank of America Student Leaders program.
Stacking Up the Experiences: DeAndre Jones
YouthWorks (WorkReady) 1999
As he sits in his office as the Assistant Dean at the Community College of Philadelphia, DeAndre Jones cannot help but smile reminiscing his internship as a file clerk that taught him the necessary skills to be successful in the workplace. “Responsibility. That was the biggest thing [I learned] because I never was responsible,” said DeAndre. “Knowing that my name is attached to everything I do. When I come to work, I want to make sure the quality of work that I am doing is great and that I am here on time because you got to show up to show out.” As a participant of YouthWorks, PYN’s original employment program that evolved into what is known today as WorkReady, DeAndre worked for the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. He helped manage the institution’s book warehouse by properly re-shelving returned books and by searching for the books that were requested by customers. Not only did he learn the skillset of a file clerk, DeAndre discovered more about himself. He found a personal satisfaction in helping people, specifically the library patrons: “I was able to do something that helped benefit individuals who had a disability and I helped them live life as what we call ‘normal’, by helping them get a sense of being a part of everyday life.” The Free Library “You got to show up to show out.” gave DeAndre the opportunity to make an impact on his community at an early age. He also developed an increased understanding of the importance of budgeting and personal finance with every paycheck he earned. This insatiable desire to help others has not stopped since 1999. DeAndre currently serves as the Assistant Dean for the Community College of Philadelphia. He aids students facing barriers by guiding and ensuring that they stay on track to graduate. Before he held his current position, DeAndre served as an academic advisor at Temple University for three years and was a director of undergraduate student services at Rosemont College.
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Building Up Skills to Take Flight: Tien Tran
For Tien Tran, traveling has always been a normality. Born in Vietnam, Tien immigrated to the United States when he was ten years old. He lived on the West Coast for three years before settling in Philadelphia. That was when his adventure began.
WorkReady not only inspired Tien to aim high, but enabled him to soar. “It gave me the opportunity to try different things,” said Tien. These opportunities would be key in Tien’s decision to attend Lafayette College, one of the nation’s top schools for engineering. Throughout his college career, he worked in various fields and continued to try new things. He carried both the experience and the lessons he learned during his participation in WorkReady, which helped shape his decision to combine his love of construction with his passion for policy. Tien fulfilled his employment dreams when he was hired in New York as the project engineer for LaGuardia Airport’s $4 billion renovation. Today, Tien continues to use the foundational skills he learned in WorkReady like networking and communication to take his career to new heights.
“. . . with the right resources and the right support network, there’s always something there to be gained.”
“You have to make sure you’re willing to put yourself out there and recognize that you may need some help or you might not be successful on the first track,” said Tien. “But with the right resources and the right support network, there’s always something there to be gained.”
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WorkReady 2008, 2009, 2011 & 2012
WorkReady introduced Tien to the world of work. The program exposed him to a variety of career-connected educational opportunities, including those at Drexel University, the Philadelphia Water Department and Onion Flats.
The Power of Networking: Cherelle Dessus
WorkReady 2009-2012
During her senior year at Girl's High, Cherelle Dessus applied to the WorkReady Summer program. While she had an interest in social justice, Cherelle had her work experience at a branch of TD Bank where she saw the fast-paced world of finance firsthand. “The people there gave us a great opportunity,” Cherelle said. “Finance wasn't my strong suit.” However, Cherelle would learn how this experience would give her more than just a brush up on her financial literacy skills. During her time at the bank, she learned how powerful networking is, how much harder it is to find a job if you don’t have these important connections and how meeting someone goes a long way. Cherelle studied English at Millersville University of Pennsylvania. During her college experience, she interned at the Philadelphia Federal Credit Union (PFCU). PFCU requires all interns to have previous bank experience, which disqualified many of Cherelle’s peers. However, Cherelle had contacts and experience from her WorkReady internship that helped her resume rise to the top.
“It’s all because of my connections.”
After graduating college in 2016, Cherelle moved to Washington D.C. to work for the Mennonite Central Community. In her current position, she leads legislative reform regarding criminal justice, gun violence and racial profiling. Cherelle enjoys making a difference in the world, and her work reflects her passion. “It’s all because of my connections,” Cherelle states. She continues to stay connected with her colleagues from the banking industry, but she has begun to broaden her network to members of Congress and their staff.
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An Experience that Lasts a Lifetime: Jessica Dixon
In 2010, a group of WorkReady participants and their supervisor, Sam, took a photo on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Seven years later, this photo serves as a reminder not only of her day exploring the city, but of the experience she had working and learning side by side with other young people throughout the summer. These other young people were not just her summer colleages, but her friends.
“Just take in everything you can. You may feel that this is not important, that you are not gonna use this in the future. You are.”
Her first day of work at Temple University was also the first time she ever stepped foot on a college campus. Sitting in the classrooms, eating from the food trucks, and being mentored by Sam, who was a college student at the time, inspired Jessica to be the first person in her family to attend to college. Not only did Jessica graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Temple University, the very campus where she had her WorkReady experience, she also went on to earn her master’s degree at Relay Graduate School of Education.
Today, Jessica’s passion for education continues to grow. As a sixth grade teacher at the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) Philadelphia Charter School, she strives to “make a difference in other children’s lives like somebody made in [hers].” Jessica credits the development of her computer, writing and communication skills as well as the ability to advocate for herself to WorkReady. When asked what advice she would give to current WorkReady participants, Jessica said, “To just take in everything you can. You may feel that this is not important, that you are not gonna use this in the future. You are.” Although WorkReady may seem like a just snapshot in life, it’s a foundational frame of tools and skills youth will need to be successsful in their future place of work and creates memories that will last a life time.
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WorkReady 2009 & 2010
Although this is a special reminder of her experience, what she learned from WorkReady extends beyond the limitations of a picture frame. During the two years she was involved in the progam, she was exposed to a lifechanging idea: the value of post-secondary education.
Education, Empowerment, Employment: Megan Bassett
When Megan Bassett graduated from Murrell Dobbins Vocational High School, she felt lost. Armed with a high school diploma and a three-year-old daughter, she entered the world of adulthood without a career path in mind.
E3 Power Centers 2013
After looking for employment in multiple fields, Megan found part-time work at her uncle’s print shop. At the same time, she began taking classes at Ashford University. Megan was making money, but she wasn’t making a future. “I was basically already an adult, but I needed a lot of guidance,” Megan said. Thanks to a tip from her older sister, she enrolled in an E3 Power Center, the program that helped her sister earn her GED. But Megan didn’t need a degree, she needed training. She already had job experience, but she wanted to enhance her professional skills. “A lot of my work training has been with or for my family, so I figured it was about time for me to venture off and get a job on my own.”
“I was basically already an adult, but I needed a lot of guidance.”
The E3 Power Center allowed her to do just that. Thanks to a combination of coaching, personal support, college prep and job readiness training, Megan had the tools she needed to succeed in the workforce. The program taught her skills including office etiquette, job hunting methods and, her favorite, how to conduct oneself in professional interviews. Megan admits that she used to be a very nervous and shy person and felt intimidated when thinking about the weight that interviews held. By participating in mock interviews, she slowly became more comfortable, allowing her skills to be showcased. Soon, Megan’s aptitude was spotted by a recruiter who offered her a job. Her skills were highlighted, persona was polished and the relationships she formed have stayed with her to this day. Without E3 Power Centers, Megan doesn’t believe she would have finished college, received her first administrative job and would not be where she is today. Currently, Megan is the Compliance and Operations Assistant at the Philadelphia Youth Network, the non-profit that manages E3 Power Centers and changed her life.
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Engineering the Leaders of Tomorrow: Ancy John Not every eighteen-year old can say that they helped build a helicopter at their summer job, but Ancy can. A graduate of Northeast High School class of 2016, Ancy was on track to major in biomedical engineering at Drexel University. Before she started classes, however, she wanted to get hands-on experience to ensure that this was the right path for her. When her friends spoke of their own internships through WorkReady, she was intrigued. Following her friend’s advice, she applied to WorkReady and was placed in an internship with Augusto Westland (AW), a subsidiary of Leonardo, an Italian global high-tech company and one of the key players in aerospace, defense and security. While she was there, she worked alongside engineers to create blueprints for revolutionary helicopters, AW’s specialty.
Now a rising sophomore studying bio-medical engineering at Drexel University, Ancy still carries the lessons and skills she acquired from her WorkReady experience. She continues to network, communicate, and collaborate, this time with her classmates and professors. As she is preparing for her first co-op, she looks back at the experience she had at WorkReady. “I think the internship really helped, not only get my name out there, but make me a better person,” said Ancy. She may be studying to become an engineer, but, more importantly, her WorkReady experience has engineered her to become a better equipped employee and a more well-rounded person.
“I think the internship really helped, not only get my name out there, but make me a better person.”
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WorkReady 2016
The skills she developed expanded beyond just engineering. While she learned how to draft by hand and how the size of a screw can affect the speed of a helicopter, she also discovered that other skills are essential to success. She learned how to network with the engineers, people who one day may become her colleagues. She learned how to work more efficiently, effectively and collaboratively, expanding her skill set beyond pure science.
About the Philadelphia Youth Network: The Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN) is a solutions-builder forging together significant players to alleviate a root cause of poverty by preparing 12-24-year-olds to become productive working adults. Our work is grounded in the understanding that young people need access to both education and employment, proven factors in being prepared for a career. With a track record of increasing impact, PYN funds and brokers action with the right partners to collectively address barriers. PYN constructs systems to create change, while innovating to meet evolving needs. Together with our partners, PYN dramatically changes the trajectory of individuals’ lives by giving voice to underserved youth, and ultimately creating a pipeline for an educated, engaged workforce.
About WorkReady Philadelphia: WorkReady is a citywide effort to address the skills gap by convening partners, employers, leaders of youth-serving systems and youth to build a coordinated approach to preparing young people for future employment. WorkReady stakeholders seek to give young people ages 12-24 access to a meaningful paid work experience that promotes self-efficacy, connects youth to caring adults and offers the opportunity to build the transferable skills required to secure and sustain employment. PYN manages WorkReady and provides summer and year-round employment opportunities.
About E3 Power Centers: E3 Power Centers are neighborhood-based drop-in centers throughout Philadelphia, managed by PYN, designed to offer a holistic approach to preparing disconnected young people for success through education, employment and empowerment. Upon completion of the E3 Power Centers program, graduates should begin their journey with sustained employment, earning a living wage.
Philadelphia Youth Network, Inc. 400 Market Street, Suite 200 Philadelphia, PA 19106 info@pyninc.org | pyninc.org | 267.502.3800 @PYNinc
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