For those new to PYD, the Greg Dees and Anita McGahan Award goes to a special Career Readiness Program participant every year. This individual stands out in our program for being a hard worker, committed to the Career Readiness Program and their future as a working professional, and being an exceptional peer. This year, our team felt particularly strong about giving the award to Simone, a dedicated participant we have gotten to know very well. Congratulations, Simone!
Emma, our Career Readiness Specialist and Partnerships Administrator said it’s hard to sum up the reasons our Career Readiness Program chose Simone to receive this award.
“The easiest way to put it is that Simone is one of those unforgettable students; her commitment, hard work, and graciousness make her an excellent peer to her classmates and a true joy to be around.”
Simone’s joy, enthusiasm, and work ethic are so contagious that Emma says she is even more productive herself after meeting with her.
Simone began her journey with us whilst it was her third year at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. She then transitioned to our Career Readiness Program working alongside Emma to help identify work-based opportunities. Over the summer, Simone’s work with PYD never stopped. She continued onward with perseverance and participated in our after school programming, learning more about career exploration.
Simone explained the Career Readiness Program helps her a lot because it taught her how to write resumes, cover letters, search for jobs online, and more.
“Last year with Mr. D. we learned about how to be professional in jobs and what to say, how to talk to people in customer service, and all of that,” said Simone.
She feels as though the program prepared her to find a job and even take classes at Roxbury Community College. Currently, Simone is enrolled in classes like Personal Skills Building and the College Experience.
Although she thrives in many aspects of the program, her favorite memory is when she visited Whole Foods, where many of our students got the chance to find out more about job openings, what it’s like to be a cashier, and learn more about the atmosphere at Whole Foods.
“They have a lot of job opportunities there so we talked about them. We got to walk around and explore.”
Congratulations on your award, Simone, and thank you for all your hard work the past two years with PYD!
Every year, PYD hosts a special event in November that remains one of our favorites. It gives us the chance to connect with our youth, families, and mentors, honor their hard work, mingle, dance, eat delicious food together, and appreciate one another. Similar to many other events this year, Mentor Appreciation Night will take place in a different fashion. It will be completely virtual on November 12, 2020, from 7-8 PM!
We aim to make the night as engaging and meaningful as possible while keeping our community safe. Awards will be given to our shining stars of the year, you will hear speeches from youth and staff members, and celebrate at a virtual after party!