Happy New Year! We hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday season and are as excited for 2019 as we are! As we reflect on 2018, we feel proud of the work our students and partners have done. Looking ahead, we are confident Genesys Works will continue to make an impact on our future workforce.

Last year, the class of 2019 spent 73,230 hours working in the offices of our 58 corporate partners across the Houston area, performing important jobs and gaining real-world experience. On top of that, our young professionals have submitted countless college and scholarship applications. So far, the class of 2019 has been awarded over $778,000 in scholarship dollars! If these numbers are any indication, it’s clear that our interns are well on their way to college and career success.

In 2019 we hope to continue to meet motivation with opportunity, but we cannot do it without you. We can’t wait to see what we will accomplish together in the new year.

Intern Spotlight

Mya is a senior at Sterling High School. Like her peers, she is managing the demands of her final year in high school, extracurriculars, and the college application process. Unlike her peers, she is also managing a year-round internship at TIRR Memorial Hermann, one of Texas’ leading rehabilitation hospitals. Mya has big plans to pursue a career in medicine – specifically pediatric anesthesiology. She knows that the medical field requires focus and determination and, luckily, Mya displays both in spades. At TIRR Memorial Hermann Mya has the opportunity to work in rotations, switching departments every few months. She recently said, “I like how versatile my internship is. I never do just one job. It’s always a new learning experience.” We are confident Mya’s dreams and hard work will take her far!

Partner Spotlight

For years, SCI (Service Corporation International) has provided meaningful work experience for our interns. In 2018 SCI reached an impressive milestone- they have officially hosted over 100 Genesys Works interns in our 11 years of partnership! Over the course of a year interns at SCI work 1,000 hours and become important members of the team, taking on significant projects that positively impact the company. Vanessa, a Genesys Works alumna, recently reflected on her time interning with SCI, “My favorite part about my internship at SCI was how friendly and encouraging everyone was. I am grateful that they gave me an opportunity to prove to them and myself what I was capable of accomplishing as a senior in high school.”
We are so thankful to SCI for providing real world experience and opportunities to our interns. Together we are preparing Houston’s workforce.

Staff Spotlight

Olga joined us in July 2017 and was recently promoted to Senior Program Coordinator.  Since joining the team, she’s built meaningful relationships with her interns, intern supervisors, peers, and managers.  Over the past year she has managed college visits for our interns, getting them excited about their post-secondary goals. After graduating from Texas A&M, Olga committed herself to supporting Houston’s underserved youth. Prior to joining Genesys Works, she worked as a Youth Leader for Baker Ripley where she coordinated after school programs and assisted high school seniors with the college application process. Olga is passionate about making college obtainable for all students and we are proud to have her supporting our Genesys Works interns. A fun fact about Olga is that she serves as a volunteer on the Go Tejano committee for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo!

In Case You Missed It!

Katherine Taylor, Executive Director of Genesys Works Houston, kicked off the year by talking to Houston Public Media about changes and challenges in workforce trends. Listen here.

Genesys Works has a new CEO! Learn more about David Williams, formerly of Make-A-Wish Foundation, on our website.

Ever wondered what a day in the life of a Genesys Works intern looks like? Check out this video.