"Hi! My name is Jeriamyah, and I was referred to Hopeworks by my mentor at College Together. Until then, I never really had a solid plan for my future. I tried college, and then a few trade programs. I thought of game design but didn’t commit. That is how I ended up attending a trade school for IT (Information Technology). I have always liked technology and figured I would want to end up within that work space but was never really sure how to enter it. Out of everything I learned, only one thing truly piqued my interest and that was coding. I was introduced to C++ and found it fun even though I was doing very basic coding. So I looked for something that involved coding. But I didn’t find anything right away. It was only when I started to consider college again that I heard about Hopeworks. I was going to College Together and my mentor, Oscar Wang, not only introduced me to the program, but also helped me enroll in it. The rest is history.
Through Hopeworks, I have gained goals and I now feel closer to achieving something I thought was unattainable for me. I never thought I would be able to get my feet wet in coding, let alone gain an internship. Thanks to Hopeworks, I was able to get a Web Development internship with Annie Rose Webb. Since I started, I have learned a lot. I am becoming more and more comfortable in Web Development. Thanks to Annie Rose and the Web Department, I now feel closer to reaching my goals. Through the experience, I am gaining hope that I can have a good career and earn enough to support my family, especially my siblings."
Adri recently completed an internship in the Hopeworks Web Department as the lead designer for the team. Adri had also been working wth Alliance for Watershed Education as an assistant helping to create large scale scuptures out of natural materials. Passion for design and hard work on the web team and at the Alliance, led Adri to being hired full time as a fellow for the Center for Aquatic Sciences, based at the Adventure Aquarium. Adri will be collecting and curating videos and images to be used for promoting programs, for social media, and to help educate others.
We will miss Adri at Hopeworks and are grateful for their contribution to helping the web team grow. Adri expressed gratitude too, sharing that, "Hopeworks was such a wonderful opportunity for me."
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Hopeworks interns have proven their value time and time again. All three of our businesses are meeting the needs of our clients without interruption!
Our latest project with Tennessee American Water has Hopeworks GIS interns working hard at home processing records and interpreting scanned engineering drawings to populate data into TNAW's ArcGIS Online. Hopeworks not only does the data transfer and updating, but provides QA/QC.
GIS Director, Luis Olivieri, reports that interns are ”processing close to 15,000 records in a month, comparable to any other GIS professional service. In fact, we are on course to complete our project with TNAW in approximately half the time expected!"
Xavier Hilton is one of several interns making this possible. Xavier has processed over 2,000 records in recent weeks and tells us, “This project means a lot to me especially during this pandemic, because even though there is a lot going on in the world, we are still able to produce our amazing work and make positive changes to help better communities.”
To learn more about our GIS services, visit our own new website at https://gis.hopeworks.org/.
Hopeworks Web Team has been busy, like all of us, working remotely! They recently launched a new website - Philly Homes for Youth - a coalition of organizations working to end homelessness in Philadelphia.
Philly Homes for Youth was the first website new web intern Andrew McFarlane worked on. About the project, Andrew shared, "Working on the website for Philly Homes for Youth was a fun experience for me. I enjoyed developing the layout as well as the content. I learned so much from hands on experience."
Hopeworks team of interns, under the guidance of Web Director Annie Rose Webb, are designing and developing solutions for businesses of all sizes in all sectors. Let’s keep them working on your project!
To learn more about our web development services, visit our own new website at https://web.hopeworks.org/.
Hopeworks Youth Healing Team (YHT) has been meeting virtually to design a webinar so they can continue delivering our Trauma Informed Care Training!
YHT Intern Alicia Hinkle shared, “Working from home hasn’t stopped us from doing what we do best. We’re currently working on a webinar to help everyone find ways to deal with the stress of the coronavirus while working from home and in isolation.”
According to Hopeworks Community Impact Director, Kate Daugherty, they recently piloted an interactive slide presentation: “Dealing with Trauma and Toxic Stress During the Coronavirus.”
To learn more about our services, visit our own new website at https://yht.hopeworks.org/.
Hopeworks Web intern, Adri had the opportunity to deliver a powerful presentation in Philadelphia, speaking at the uncovering of Mural Arts latest project, which many Hopeworks youth got to be apart of. They did a great job speaking about the process of creating the mural and connecting the experience to art itself.
GIS Intern, Zora also networked and shared her experiences as she presented for the Arbor Brothers in Manhattan, NY
When asked about her presentation, she shared:
“It was an awesome experience, it was my first time speaking at an event. I always had a fear of public speaking, but the Arbor Brothers and guests showed a warm welcome and were very supportive. Also, a great thanks to Hopeworks for the opportunity, and all their support and encouragement as well.”
Then our Youth Healing Team blew the audience away with an awesome keynote presentation at Walsh University, presenting at the "Mental Health & Addiction: Breaking the Stigma 2019" conference.
Youth Healing team supervisor, Charlene recalls:
"This experience was amazing! Not only was my first flight experience a great one, but it felt great to have the opportunity to share our knowledge on trauma-informed practices in front of a number of professionals in the mental health field, which made this experience even more special. It was also great having the opportunity to talk to a U.S. Senator, and someone who is famous in the mental health community, Wendy Ellis. If I had the opportunity to do this again, I definitely would!" -Charlene
At Being Design, I am a Web Design Intern. I have worked on websites, I’ve met clients, and through Being Design, I was able to do more than what a normal web designer does. I have done SEO work and helped with branding and identity building.
Working at Being Design has been a very unique experience. I never thought I’d get an externship like this one due to not having experience. But I was able to earn the externship and even feel like I am part of the team. I have had some ups and downs since starting the externship, but from this, I feel as though working at Being Design has helped me learn and grow both as a professional and as a person.
I thank not only Hopeworks for this opportunity, but some individuals at Being Design and also myself. I was able to let go of toxic people, learn more about professionalism as well as what is important and what is right for me.
“Working with Kayla has been a blast. She's creative, conscientious, hard-working, and she has an impeccable eye for design. Best of all, she's attentive to the needs of others, which makes her as valuable around the office as she is in client meetings. We're honored to have her on the team. “ -John Cardone
October has been a month of opportunity for Hopworks youth. We have five new interns to congratulate for starting new positions in various departments!
Adri has impressed us with their artwork since their first day at Hopeworks, and has seamlessly transferred their artistic talent from canvas to online mediums as one of the newest interns in our Web Department. When Adri is not developing beautiful websites for our clients, they are working on their own website where their art can be purchased.
Azaris’ has worked hard to accomplish his dream of owning and operating his own Digital Marketing firm, and his hard work has paid off as he is now an intern in the Web Department. This week, he and Adri were able to present some mock-ups for a logo and website to the CEO of the Hummingbird Foundation and they impressed him with their strong attention to detail and uniqueness.
Duane has displayed his leadership skills and his ability to communicate throughout his training, and now that he has successfully completed the training, he is able to put those skills to work in his new position as training room assistant.
“I am very proud of Duane for taking advantage of his skills that come naturally to him!” -Lauren Vaughn, Life Readiness Coach
Angelyca’s dream is to obtain her diploma and become a child therapist. Not only is she doing well in her classes, she has taken a major step towards her other goal by joining the Youth Healing Team. It is only her second day, and she has successfully completed a presentation!
Angelyca has made amazing progress since coming to Hopeworks, and it is a pleasure watching her growth.
DeVaughn’s charisma is obvious the second you start speaking with him, so it is no wonder he had options when it came time for an internship. Ultimately, DeVaughn chose to pursue an internship in the Web Department, where his problem solving skills and attention to detail are put to use.
We are lucky to have each of these interns offer their unique skill sets in and internship here at Hopeworks!
Another job was earned this month by Semaj Sullivan who began interning in the Hopeworks Web department. Semaj came to Hopeworks as a high school student in December 2018. Spending his after school hours in the training room and taking advantage of opportunities to learn and grow professionally, he was able to earn this internship where he will design, develop, and lead client website projects. Semaj will continue his internship while attending Rutgers Camden in the fall!
“I came to Hopeworks with a plan to continue my educational career at Rutgers Camden and eventually gain my MBA through their Dual Enrollment program. Everyday after high school, I would come to Hopeworks from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and gradually complete my training program while also involving myself with the Chat and Chew events that would be held where I was able to casually speak with and learn from various entrepreneurs.”
We’re excited to have Semaj on the web team!
At Hopeworks, our web team develops quality interactive websites for our clients. Our recent accomplishments include Reconnect Brooklyn, an organization that provides young men with the tools to become successful as they build job skills and reconnect them with education. Prior to working with Hopeworks, Reconnect Brooklyn was dissatisfied with their Squarespace experience so they approached Hopeworks Web for a crisp, clean WordPress website. Using the strength of their visual photographs, Hopeworks Web created a website that mirrors the strength of the incredible community of Recconnect Brooklyn.
Similarly, another organization, University Research Strategies, was in need of a strong web presence. They approached Penji, a design agency, for the visual designs and Hopeworks Web for the WordPress build. Hopeworks Web created an interactive experience for URS visitors to learn more about the company and its team of experts.
Check out these two websites and see how we're helping these organizations meet their business goals.
When Lance first came to Hopeworks, he admits that he was very reserved, shy and “only did what he had to”. However, He quickly realized how important it was to communicate with others. He began doing things outside of his comfort zone, including giving tours, and quickly became known for his charismatic personality. Lance said that in the beginning he was very nervous but he remained persistent. He is now an intern in the web development team, and having learned web design languages such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript in the training program, he is able to apply these to become a full-fledged web developer. He also utilizes the skills he learned in Photoshop, which assists him in becoming a better graphic designer.
Many youth come to Hopeworks seeking a change in their lives and when asked what advice he would give youth hoping to become successful at Hopeworks, Lance says it would be to STAY PERSISTENT and to STAY POSITIVE. He says, “Take advantage of when guests like CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business owners come to visit. Ask them questions, pick their brains, and get insight from them because they were once in your shoes. Use the methods they were taught to propel them to the top and apply those methods to your own journey.”
In the future, Lance’s goals are to earn more internships around the city and to eventually get into the game development industry. Ultimately, he wants to own his very own game design studio with a huge team of dedicated programmers and designers to create something that has never been created before. Lance says his favorite part of being at Hopeworks is the genuinely positive atmosphere. “Everyone wants us to succeed and the positive support of the entire family at Hopeworks is something that I truly admire.”
Hien, doing great work in the web department, came to the United States on a study abroad program and earned her associates degree at Camden County College where she studied computer graphics. While there, a professor referred her to Hopeworks and she then contacted us to start the training program. Shortly after completing training, Hien was advised through a Hopeworks Academic Success Coach to apply to the Townsend Scholars program. This scholarship covers tuition, books and fees for Hopeworks youth who meet the requirements and are pursuing a associates degree.
Hien says what she likes most about the Townsend Scholars program is the book club. She started to pick up the reading habit saying reading is super important, especially for an international student like her, and feels that it helps to advance her English.
In the web department, Hien is currently learning to work on wordpress and communicate with clients in a professional manner. Hien believes, “I am improving myself by learning more coding languages and implementing them on different self-projects. Thanks to the web department, I learned to be professional in communications through email with clients.” She says she is pushed to work hard, because everyone at Hopeworks is passionate and dedicated. Hien also states, “Billimarie, the web director, let us know that we always should work together as team work and help each other to achieve the best result.”
In addition to taking advantage of the Townsend Scholarship and learning web development, Hien has received a lot of help from Life Readiness Coaches. She says “without them, I would not be able to finish my university transfer applications.They help me with everything from personal lifestyle to professional. I can never have as much support from anywhere else except Hopeworks.”
