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.

Sou Yang was a part of the first class of Genesys Works Young Professionals in the Twin Cities. He was one of three students from Harding High School to successfully complete the program and earn an internship at 3M. While at 3M he and Na Lee also became parents to their son Chrisjame. Now a junior at Hamline University, Sou credits his Genesys Works internship as the "preparation he needed to take his first steps in college and develop his leadership skills." 

Na Lee heard about Genesys Works from Sou, and as a junior at Patrick Henry High School was the first student from her high school to be accepted to the program and trained at the first Minneapolis training site. She shared that "aside from my son, Chrisjame, Genesys Works is the greatest thing that ever happened to me. They are like a family that never gives up on you and truly wants you to succeed." Now a freshman at the University of Saint Thomas with a full ride scholarship, we know Na Lee is a student that will never give up on herself or those she loves.

Chi Nou is a current student at Cooper High School and a Young Professional working at one of our newest companies, Medica. He heard about the program and was convinced to join by his older sister Na Lee. A very strong IT student, Chi Nou shared that "Genesys Works gave me a perfect visual of how I want life to be in the future. I see it as another step on my stairway to success. My family is so proud of me because Genesys Works has given me the strength to strive for a better future." We are excited to see where those next steps take him.

Chi Nou introduced Genesys Works to Lisa when they were both Juniors. A strong leader and confident individual, Lisa was instrumental in forming a partnership between Genesys Works and Cooper High School and making Genesys Works an option for both her and Chi Nou. She is now paving the way in her internship with Carlson Companies. She too wants to assist and advocate so that her younger siblings can participate in the program. "Just like Sou shared it with Na Lee and Na Lee shared it with Chi Nou and Chi Nou shared it with me, [I want to] someday share it with my younger siblings. Because we want the best for our future generations, we will advocate for them to participate in Genesys Works and hope someday they will become the young professionals we've become."

We feel confident about the future of the Genesys Works family with the success, determination and dedication of Sou, Na Lee, Chi Nou and Lisa!