Choosing a career path can be as intimidating as it is exciting, and for most youth, understanding the full breadth of the careers they can pursue is near impossible.

“What is working for Enterprise like?” From October to May, we had seven exceptional Enterprise youth interning for us. We asked each of them this question. Keep reading to see what they said!

High school senior Michael Buck gained a new perspective on the power of opportunity by training Enterprise intern Zachary Thornton while working at Starbucks. Michael and Zachary began working at Starbucks as part of Enterprise for Youth’s Direct-to-Hire program.

Hello everyone, I wanted to let you know how grateful I am to be here tonight to share my story. My name is Andrea Lopez. I was born in Los Angeles but grew up in El Salvador with my mother, father, and older sister. We didn’t have very much but we had each other.

A speech by Ma’Sherrod Swinson delivered to a crowd of 180 guests at Enterprise for Youth’s annual dinner celebration, Heroes at Work. Ma’Sherrod was the first of three youth speakers to share their personal stories and how Enterprise’s programs impacted them along the way. 

A speech by Liberty La delivered to a crowd of 180 guests at Enterprise for Youth’s annual dinner celebration, Heroes at Work. Liberty was the final of three youth speakers to share their personal stories and how Enterprise’s programs impacted them. 

On May 4, 2023, three Enterprise youth will take the stage at our annual dinner, Heroes at Work, to share their personal stories of growth and transformation.

It’s not often we get the opportunity to try something new outside our career focus. Jasmine Gong got to push herself outside her comfort zone in her internship with Jenny Lemons in the Fall of 2022.

Climate Career Corps intern Felix Lin talks about his illuminating experience interning with Refuse Refuse.

On December 5, 2022, our partner Babylon Burning was nearly destroyed in the wake of a devastating fire. Since its conception in 1976, the locally owned and run print shop has been a monument to, and a promoter of, authentic San Franciscan culture, creating some of the first shirts for groups such as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the Women’s Building, and Mother Jones magazine. 

Lesli Mejia de Paz became independent at the age of 15. “I separated myself from my parents and all my family [in Guatemala] because I came to the United States looking for opportunities and education.” Lesli came to San Francisco motivated to expand her horizons and to learn English. She enrolled in Mission High School and Enterprise for Youth where she completed four internships over three summers and gained valuable skills. Through our program, Lesli discovered her professional ambitions to become an environmental engineer.

Andrea’s most cherished and informative work experience with Enterprise was an internship in Nancy Pelosi’s office in 1991. “I sat in on meetings, took constituent calls, christened a new boat on the Bay. It was the first time I had ever seen a woman making such a difference, a woman with poise and dignity.” Inspired by her internship, Andrea decided to major in political science. Now, as a VP of Advancement at a high school in Napa, Andrea focuses on helping BIPOC and first-generation youth like herself gaining access to higher education.

We talked with Enterprise youth Baijian Xie about his summer internship at BAVC, during which he wrote and produced a short film as part of a team.

Career Experience intern, Aja Bhooma, discusses his time interning for Old Navy.

Lamiya Cotton says that her goal in life is “to be the most fashionable person on the news.” At the age of 19, as a current communications major at the University of San Francisco with a few Old Navy internships under her belt, she is well on her way.

This past August Enterprise for Youth hosted our first op-ed competition as part of our Climate Career Corps internship. In this competition, youth were encouraged to read and respond to the book Girls Who Green the World: Thirty-Four Rebel Women Out to Save Our Planetby Diana Kapp. 

The inaugural summer of Climate Career Corps employed 250 youth

Climate Career Corps interns worked in green jobs this summer completing a total of 17,700 paid internship hours. 193 youth worked in San Francisco parks in their first year in the program, and 43 youth interns worked in a portfolio of green organizations and businesses. All 236 interns were supported by fourteen Program Assistants, all of whom were Enterprise alumni. 

Each year Enterprise nominates youth to receive the Posse Scholarship, and this summer six semi-finalists were selected! We hope all six of these bright young minds are selected for the third and final round and receive the scholarship.

Enterprise youth completed 402 paid internships this summer! Youth gained direct work experience in a range of settings. Some youth worked at the UCSF Dyslexia Center, while others learned financial services skills at First Republic Bank. Meanwhile, other youth learned about running a small business while working for Jade Chocolates, Little Baobab, or other local entrepreneurs. We launched our Climate Career Corps with 236 youth learning about our vital and fragile ecosystem in partnership with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco Recreation and Parks, and a portfolio of green businesses.

Private Collection has returned! On September 14th, six generous collectors opened their homes in support of Enterprise for Youth. The evening offered intimate tours of unique private art collections in San Francisco, with anecdotes and histories presented by the collectors themselves.