Urban Alliance’s signature High School Internship Program provides job skills training, mentoring and paid internships to underserved high school seniors to prevent disconnection from school and work before it occurs, and expand their idea of what’s possible for the future. EDENS has been a Job Partner since 2015 and has embarked on its tenth anniversary with this program in 2024.
Our partnership with EDENS has not only provided high school students with the opportunity to engage with a company that directly impacts their community but also enabled them to establish a robust professional network within it. Jennifer stands out as one of our most dedicated mentors, consistently prioritizing time from her day-to-day responsibilities to ensure her interns feel supported—both professionally and personally.
Our intern this year, Yonas Geremew, performed administrative and production tasks on behalf of our Property Management team at Union Market District as supervised by Jennifer Battle. Yonas graduated from Coolidge High School in 2023 with honors and is now enrolled at Trinity College. Our 2022 intern, Lesley Vasquez, is enrolled at University of Maryland-College Park. While completing her studies, he has been working as a customer service specialist at an international call center for mental health and substance abuse.
In February 2024, we welcomed our newest intern, James Avendano-Sierra, who will assume Yonas’s duties on the Property Management team in DC. A resident of DC’s Takoma neighborhood and a senior at Coolidge High School, James has already shown curiosity and initiative, embracing his role from Day One. We’re excited to report back on his progress next year.
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