Katherine Olives
Youll get a lot of nos, but you have to overcome them to realize your dreams. These were some of Judaline Cassidys words before she led our students in a warrior cry at the culmination of Communitas Americas Impact Career Program. By now youve heard about the program that trains students for careers in the social impact realm, and know that weve paired it with our Apprenticeship Program, a career-readiness program out of our MakerLab that allows CCNY students the opportunity to develop their skills by working on projects within our MakerLab. This summer, some of our apprentices took what theyve learned at the Zahn Center and worked as interns at NYC-based social enterprises, realizing that no dreams are realized without some hard work. With the help of these organizations, students were able to build the foundations of a career in the social impact sector.
So how did it go? Nine students were placed in various social ventures in the NYC area for 10 weeks this summer, and all agreed they feel more confident in their skills thanks to this program. They told us all about their experiences at the finale event, kicked off by Tools&Tiaras founder (and the first woman to be accepted to the Plumbers Local Union 371 in Staten Island), Judaline Cassidy.
Joshua Chang worked at Farmshelf as their Engineering Field Technician Intern, and admittedly could not have imagined how much soldering hed do this summer (with a smile, he said he had an amazing summer). Hes still attending CCNY as a Junior majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Computer Science. He will possibly work part time at Farmshelf in the Fall semester. Joshua is also considering enrollment in a CCNY coding program.
Christopher Hernandez worked at Zahn Center as their Senior Advanced Manufacturing Intern. He is attending CCNY in the Fall Semester as a Senior majoring in Economics and working a part time job. Also, he will be returning to the Apprenticeship Program as a Senior Apprentice. He loves the Apprenticeship Program because he not only develops his engineering skills, but is supported in career development too (those soft skills are important too, he insists).
Phyo Zaw Hein worked at Design and Disorder as their Software Engineering Intern. He plans to focus on his studies for the fall as a Junior majoring in Computer Science, and to continue working with Design and Disorder. He loved working for a young startup and appreciated the openness of his boss Elmi, who trusted him with many projects.
Ethan Toby Wong worked at Unique Electric Solutions as their Mechanical Engineering Intern. He will continue working for UES for the rest of the summer and attend CCNY in the fall semester as a Junior in the Macaulay Honors College majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He may work with UES in the future. He loved the program, saying, I am incredibly grateful for Zahn and the sponsor for putting this all together. I would have never gotten this experience without this program, and my career will definitely be uplifted from this internship.
Alessandro Belaj interned at Unique Electric Solutions as their Mechanical Engineering Intern. He will continue working for UES for the rest of the summer and attend CCNY in the fall semester as a Junior majoring in Mechanical Engineering.
Francis Gold Sy interned at DogSpot as their Electrical Engineering Intern. He has been offered to stay until the end of the summer and continue on in the Fall semester. He will be attending CCNY in the fall semester as a Sophomore majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Computer Science. Francis will be rejoining the Zahn Center Apprentice Program to gain more hands-on experience. He will also be partaking in a fellowship – the S. Jay Levy Fellowship – where he will hone his interview skills and take personal development courses. Next summer, Francis will be interning or conducting research on the behalf of the fellowship. I loved how the workshops not only addressed hard skills (lathing, PCB design) but also soft skills (public speaking, business etiquette). It's great to have that balance and being able to improve in all aspects, he said.
Sumit Das interned at Zahn Center as their Senior CAD and 3D Design Intern. He will be attending CCNY in the fall semester as a sophomore majoring in Mechanical Engineering and be part of the Zahn Center Apprenticeship Program.
Ngoc-Thao Ly interned at Hoplite Power as their Mechanical Engineering Intern, and learned how to assemble a ton! She will be attending CCNY in the fall semester as a Senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering and will be part of the Zahn Center Apprentice Program, and wants to explore as many opportunities as possible to keep herself well-rounded.
Talha Kaleem interned at Pvilion as their Engineering Intern. He will continue to work with Pvilion until the end of the summer. He will be attending CCNY in the fall semester as a Senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering and will be part of the Zahn Center Apprenticeship Program.
It was an exciting event, and what we found most interesting was that the majority of students thought theyd be more likely to seek out opportunities at social enterprises after participating in this program, noting that theyre more aware of the types of jobs that not only align with their career goals, but aim to make the world a better place. It seems like that changemaker mentality is really catching on here at CCNY!
Communitas America, Inc seeks to support programs that encourage under-resourced communities to become changemakers. With the support of Communitas Inc., the Zahn Innovation Center is able to offer students these incredible opportunities as part of the Impact Career program, a special initiative designed to help students pursue careers within the social sector. Thanks to Communitas Inc.s support City College students will further their education, receiving on-the-job training and mentorship. This partnership helps both organizations fulfill the mission to create future change-makers capable of making a real, deep and positive influence in their communities and beyond.