By Sabrina Corsiga
NAF Academy students work with local small businesses to gain workforce readiness skills during the NAF Future Ready Labs program, powered by Capital One.
Developing future talent starts by investing in tomorrow’s leaders today. Career-ready partners like Capital One and NAF — a national nonprofit bringing together education, business and community leaders to transform the high school experience — have provided Dallas ISD students with paid, hands-on internships that not only prepare students for college and careers, but further build the talent pipeline.
As part of the NAF Future Ready Labs program powered by Capital One, NAF students from Dallas ISD tackle real-world challenges, while developing skills for their futures. Now in its fifth year, NAF Future Ready Labs provide students an opportunity to put their education into practice in a unique work environment — and for the second year in a row — a virtual environment.
Over the course of five weeks, student interns complete a project of value, connect with mentors, and participate in professional skill-building workshops with guest speakers. Capital One helped pilot the program nationally in 2017 and has ensured that even in an all-virtual setting, students can still build long-lasting connections and learn valuable life lessons.
“Providing our leaders of tomorrow with the skills, tools and resources they need for the future has never been more crucial,” said Sanjiv Yajnik, President, Financial Services of Capital One and NAF board treasurer. “Through our NAF partnership, we prepare students for college and fulfilling careers. Our associates also give back in a rewarding way, mentoring young minds, telling them no challenge is too big to overcome.”
This year, 45 interns from various NAF academies across Dallas ISD were selected through a virtual interview process. These interns were organized in teams of 4-5 to collaborate on projects centered on a theme important in today’s world. Since startups and small businesses are key to post-pandemic recovery, 10 local small businesses and startups provided interns projects to work on. Additionally, mentors from Capital One were matched with the intern teams to provide career advice and guide them through their projects. During the internship, interns learned how to apply specialties like design thinking, project management and personal branding to their projects.
The small business focus aligns with Capital One’sImpact Initiative that seeks to advance socioeconomic mobility, including an emphasis on workforce development. Since 2009, NAF’s partnership with Capital One has expanded workforce development opportunities for hundreds of students to help them better prepare for college and careers, including hosting over 250 interns overtime.
Lisa Dughi, NAF CEO, says collaborating with Capital One lays the groundwork for shaping future workforces. By engaging with high school students through work-based activities and paid internships, the next generation of talent can prosper early on.
“These impactful experiences have allowed our young people to demonstrate their classroom knowledge in a real-world workplace setting, connect with supportive mentors and become primed for future success,” Dughi said.
Sebastian Delgado, an intern from Skyline High School, says his mentors have taught him not to be afraid to ask questions. While he has not decided on a career yet, he hopes what he learns from NAF Future Ready Labs will help him make his decision once the time comes.
“This internship is going to help me reach that career by providing me some experience in teamwork and collaboration, time management and so much more,” Delgado said.
Additionally, prioritizing continuous improvement and finding new ways to reach more students during the COVID-19 pandemic has helped NAF recognize that flexibility and adaptability are essential for the future of work. What students learn today can become a blueprint to guide them through the pandemic and beyond.
“During this challenging time, we must remain steadfast in ensuring that our future leaders develop the skills they will need to thrive in both the digital age, as well as in-person,” Dughi added. “We are keenly focused not only on key competencies around technology, creativity, problem solving, collaboration and more, but also on ensuring that we are quantifying and measuring those competencies, so students are able to showcase what they have gained from these valuable experiences.”
Perla Arredondo of Thomas Jefferson High School has enjoyed meeting every guest speaker and hopes to keep in contact with them. After graduation, she hopes to study event planning and secondary education, with a dream to have her own company someday.
“[NAF Future Ready Labs] is actually helping with what I want to study,” Arredondo said. “I’m learning how to communicate and share my thoughts, work with people and share my wisdom.”
Visit Capital One andNAF Future Ready Labs online to learn more.