Alum Succeeds in College

The high-traffic Einstein Bros Coffee shop, nestled within the Christensen Center at Augsburg College, is a great place to take in a typical college scene. A constant flow of college students grabbing coffee and bagels before heading to class, meeting with friends, or studying by the windows became the backdrop for my interview with a former Genesys Works student. She came in the frenzy of students, sat down, and quickly began conveying her new found desire to one day become an ambassador for the United States. Quite the future goal, however, if you got to know Markeisha Jones, you would understand that she will make this dream into a reality.

                 
Jones was a Genesys Works intern at the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office during her senior year at Richfield High School.  Before entering the program, Jones described herself as in a “downward spiral.” Not applying herself toward school or her goals, it took entering the Genesys Works program to make her mindset shift.  

“It gave me a new found motivation. It was the beginning of the beginning.

Breaking Through Ceremony Reflections

The fourth annual Breaking Through Ceremony, which took place on September 28th, was the most well attended event Genesys Works - Twin Cities has hosted thus far. The supporters ranged from proud parents, family and friends to CIOs from well-known companies that provide internships for our Young Professionals. We were impressed by the number of supporters and appreciative of all of the encouragement, love and assistance given to our students from people like you who made this event a great success. Below are some highlights from the ceremony:

Jacob Johnson - Featured Breaking Through Speaker

An Extraordinary Act of Kindness



Taela Fullilove

August 16th was the day Taela Fullilove's dreams were to come true - she was going to college.  Not just any college but Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa and its world-class veterinary medicine program where she could pursue her dream of becoming a veterinarian.  It was with great anticipation that Taela packed up her belongings on Monday the 15th as a relative would be renting a car and driving her from Minneapolis to Iowa the next morning.  Or so she thought.  Sadly, the ride fell through.  In a panic, Taela called other family members and friends, all to no avail. College awaited, but she had no means for getting there.

Enter Margie Soran, a partner in Social Venture Partners and a generous Genesys Works supporter.  Margie runs the SVP Teens program, in which Taela had participated as a Class 3 Genesys Works Young Professional last year.  Here's Margie's story of her special day helping a determined young lady in need:

"On Monday, August 15, Taela called. She explained that her ride to Iowa State had fallen through. She had tried calling some other people but no one was able to take her. She asked if I could. I said that I needed to check my schedule and get some things rearranged and would call her back.

Feeling Like Spider-Man

Gina with her supervisor Aaron Granberg

Gina Xiong, a Genesys Works Young Professional, attends Brooklyn Center High School while taking classes at the University of Minnesota. After completing eight rigorous weeks of IT and professional skills training and now working as an intern with the University of Minnesota Foundation, she shares her “breakthrough” opportunity. 

What company do you work for? Which department?

I work in the Information Systems and Research Department. The U of M Foundation is a fundraising organization. It manages and raises private dollars for scholarships, world-class faculty, research, new facilities, and academic programs on the five campuses of the University of Minnesota. 

What is your job and what are your responsibilities?

I work at a help desk and complete projects. My troubleshooting skills are improving and it definitely feels great after helping someone out with their problem. I am also responsible for assisting my supervisor on certain projects. We are currently working on setting up new computers for employees at the U of M Foundation. After setting up their new computers, we would take the old ones and create an image of them. Then after creating an image of the old computer, we would re-image the computer.

It's All in the Family

We hear it from Genesys Works students all the time....Genesys Works is more than just a program, it's a family. 

Well, for four Genesys Works Alumni and current Young Professionals they literally are a family. Sou Yang, GWTC Class 1 Alumni, his wife Na Lee Thao, Class 3 Alumni, her brother Chi Nou Vang and his wife Lisa Yang, both current Young Professionals, not only participated in the program, but were trailblazers for Genesys Works in their schools, their workplaces and of course within their family. 

Lisa Yang (Class 4), Chi Nou Vang (Class 4), Na Lee Thao (Class 3) and Sou Yang (Class 1) with their family and IT Trainer Joe Zwack at Minneapolis Family Night this past summer.

Target Interns Welcomed with Open Arms

Genesys Works was very pleased to establish a relationship with the IT department of one of the state’s largest employers: Target. Excitement grew as plans solidified to have two Genesys Works Young Professionals join the Target team at their Northern Campus. Seniors Ashlee Brunt (Park Center) and Abdiasis Inshar (Al-Amal) have helped to insure that the performance has lived up to expectation. Their supervisor, Clark Gooder, talks about the experience:

Wow, what a great journey! Their Genesys Works training has allowed them to progress quickly through their Target training. The Target training consisted of three weeks of class room training, two weeks of informal training where they handled calls with the support of Target team members, to working on the call center floor with the assistance of mentors.