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From Robotics Student to Drama Tech Leader
When Noah, 18, started participating in our STEM program in spring 2016, he was quiet and dealing with personal challenges that prevented him from fully committing to the program. However, as the program progressed, he began to focus on the robotics curriculum and discovered a natural talent for programming.
Over the summer, Noah interned with the City of Morgan Hill and had the opportunity to work in a wide-array of departments from marketing to engineering. His supervisor, Nichole, mentored him well, taking advantage of every opportunity to help him grow professionally. She enjoyed having Noah as intern and speaks highly of him, saying "his work quality [was] excellent and we all enjoy[ed] working with him!"
At the close of his internship, Noah became unreachable, which worried Opportunity Youth Program Coordinator Stephany Fuentes who had developed a relationship with Noah at the STEM program. In an effort to contact Noah, Stephany reached out to his academic coach, Arielle Dualan, through the Silicon Valley Children's Fund and was able to meet with him.
As it turns out, Noah's unresponsiveness was a sign of his success, not a cause for concern. Noah had taken on the role of sound board technician for a drama class at his high school in exchange for not having to act in any of the plays. Although he had no prior sound board experience, he was confident that he would be able to use the programming skills that he had developed at the STEM program to teach himself how to use the sound board. What started out as a ploy to avoid acting turned into a passion, and Noah is now a lead member of the production group, spending hours helping prep the stage and cast for upcoming performances. He is even training a student to take his place when he graduates! His next goal is to learn how to manipulate lighting and use software like QLab. Noah will attend college this fall, with plans to major in a tech-related field.
We are so proud of Noah for using the skills he learned at the STEM program to create opportunities for himself, and we can't wait to have him back at the STEM program this spring to put his leadership skills to the test and help lead the robotics class!
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The Fastest Hire
Meet Jacob, a new youth hired at our Morgan Hill Branch. On the day of his interview, it was obvious that Jacob would be a committed and hard worker. He completed and turned in his paperwork in record time, 30 minutes after his interview! He continued this quick trajectory and started working full time at
Shoe Palace three days later. Despite a 2-hour commute, Jacob is punctual, arriving at least 10 minutes early to every shift. He even works Saturdays! Jacob uses his strong communication skills to his advantage and is never afraid to ask questions to ensure that he is doing his job properly. Jacob embodies TeenForce's values. He has a great attitude and a great work ethic!
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Full-time Success
Rebecca, 18, is about to be the newest full-time employee of Princeton Capital! On November 28th, she will officially transition from TeenForce employee to Princeton Capital employee. Rebecca started her journey at Princeton Capital over the summer when she interned there through the STEM program. Princeton Capital loved her so much that they decided to bring her on full time after the internship ended, but Rebecca remained an official employee of TeenForce, not Princeton Capital, until now. A huge win for Rebecca, and a major example of how STEM program internships pave the way to future employment opportunities for foster youth!
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TeenForce Chosen as a 2016
Spreading MODness Organization
Each year, MOD Pizza donates a portion of its sales to local non-profits a
cro
ss the U.S., a campaign known as Spreading MODness. This year TeenForce was selected
as the beneficiary at the Almaden Ranch Location in San Jose. From Tuesday, November 22nd to Sunday, November 27th, $1.00 will be donated to TeenForce for every pizza sold.
Almaden Ranch - San Jose
5130 Cherry Ave., San Jose, CA 95118
(669) 400-5744
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