Genesys Works Houston (GWH), a workforce development program that trains high school students in employability skills and connects them to paid internship opportunities with top Houston companies, announced today that Michael T. McDonnell has been elected to its board of directors.
Over the last couple of months, we’ve taken a brief pause from our monthly newsletter to be with our students, staff and community. We’re back with a renewed sense of purpose + updates on our outgoing and incoming cohorts.
The brilliant writer Maya Angelou once said, “Do the best you can. Then when you know better, do better.” The senseless, murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor-merely the latest in a far-too-long list of Black people who did not deserve to die-has awakened a desire in this nation and our community. Justice must be done, and we must be a part of ensuring that it does.
Belen Cosme grew up assuming she would clean houses for a living. It was what her mother had always done and what was familiar to her. At that time, she didn’t know a single person who had been to college or who worked in a professional office environment. It wasn’t until her first internship with Kinder Morgan during her senior year of high school that she abandoned that idea and began to consider new possibilities. Through Genesys Works, she realized that her career options were far broader than she had assumed.
At Genesys Works, the companies we partner with are vital to our mission. Partners like Midcoast Energy are committed to providing opportunities to Houston’s young people, paving the way toward resilient and sustainable futures. They understand that the opportunities we provide today will have lasting effects in our communities tomorrow.
During these difficult times, we are especially grateful for our Genesys Works community. We believe it’s more important than ever to uphold our mission by maintaining our students’ income stability and to prioritize the health and safety of our students, partners, staff, and the Houston community. As a member of the Genesys Works community, we want to keep you apprised of our team’s recent efforts.
Prashant Bashyal was a 16-year-old high school junior at Westside High School when his school bus route took him past the Sysco headquarters in the Energy Corridor of Houston for the first time. Each time he passed the building, he wondered about the people who worked there and what it would be like to walk the halls of that building. Prashant was looking for part-time work with fast food restaurants at the time but had not been successful. This story is part of our monthly Mentorship Matters series.
Genesys Works (GW) today announced a grant of $400,000 from The George Foundation to improve career readiness for young people in Fort Bend County. The funds will support the organization’s mission of providing pathways to career success for students in underserved communities across the region by teaching them in-demand skills and connecting them to professional opportunities.
Why is mentorship important? Mentoring reinforces the power of relationships and can help us redefine what it means to be “the right fit” or “management material.” It also helps us understand the importance of advocacy and being advocates for ourselves and others. Wilfredo Sandoval, Genesys Works class of 2013, knows firsthand the power of mentoring. The way he sees it, “Someone helped me, now I have to pay it forward.”
At Genesys Works we are surrounded by great interns, staff members, partners and more. Read more about what we’ve been up to in Q3 here.
