Growing New Orleans' Talent: One Talent at a Time
YouthForce Internships Spring 2017 cohort
Recently, YouthForce NOLA caught up with Tatyana Stevenson, who was a YouthForce Internships (YFI) intern in 2017 to learn how YFI impacted her life. Tatyana was matched with a placement at New Orleans and Company, where she has continued to intern while attending class at University of New Orleans. Before YFI, Tatyana was a shy senior in high school who did not know what she wanted to pursue for a career. Through YFI’s soft skills training curriculum, Tatyana’s communication skills improved, and her natural shyness faded. Tatyana was then able to further develop these skills in her internship at New Orleans and Company, where she says her favorite part is communicating with various NOLA employers “because they talk to [her] like any other professional.” Through various opportunities interning New Orleans and Company, Tatyana has been able to better focus her studies to fit her career and now plans to become a human resource professional after graduation.
Tatyana’s experience at New Orleans and Company gave her a real chance to learn and grow while contributing to New Orleans and Company’s larger mission. When asked about how she feels about her growth and work with New Orleans and Company, Tatyana stated that she “loves” working with her team because they are all friendly and have given her meaningful projects to work on. Her supervisor, Laura Russett, shared, “Tatyana’s work at New Orleans and Company consistently impresses her colleagues, and it has been our pleasure to watch her grow as part of our team.” Every internship during YFI has multiple impacts: the intern is able to learn, grow, and contribute; the organization is able to connect to a new pipeline of local talent; New Orleans benefits from a stronger connection between our youth and the 21st century industries growing around them. Every internship placement helps a young person grow as a professional and works to make our city more equitable and economically prosperous. We are proud of New Orleans and Company’s partnership with YFI and of the impact they have had on Tatyana’s growth as a professional.
If you or your organization are interested in hosting a YFI intern and being a part of this impact, please contact YouthForce NOLA Executive Vice President Melissa Ehlinger at melissa@youthforceinternships.com.