Two recent Hopeworks trainees, Javon and Jahmir, are ready to move on to paid internships at Hopeworks, crediting the work in the training room -- and the training stipends -- for helping them get ready for employment.
Jahmir came to Hopeworks after hearing about it from a community contact. Jahmir knew right away that Hopeworks was the place for him, using his friendly personality and enthusiasm to fit right in to the training room. It was not all easy for Jahmir, however. Jahmir worked hard to learn the boundaries between friendliness and professionalism, making huge strides in client communication, professional peer interactions and working directly with clients. Jahmir shares, “I feel like I have really learned how to balance getting my own work done, and interacting and supporting the people around me. It can be hard to draw that line, but you have to in the workplace.”
Javon came to Hopeworks after his mother heard about the opportunity from Jahmir. After some time trying a series of dead-end jobs that didn’t move him towards his goals, Javon came to Hopeworks to move forward with his dream of becoming an author and earning a sustainable wage to support himself and his family.
In the training room, Javon has become the “go-to” resource for other, newer trainees, always ready to help with a snippet of code, an encouraging word, or a hint that worked for him as he moved through the training. As he interviews both at internal Hopeworks businesses and at external internship partners, Javon has become an exceptional tour guide as well, welcoming visitors and clients to Hopeworks space. “At first I was nervous,” Javon shares, “but now I know that is really about making them feel welcome and making sure they have great information about what we do at Hopeworks.”
We can’t wait to share which internships Javon and Jahmir land in shortly!
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