Achieve Twin Cities

Step Up has wrapped up another great summer, with over 1,030 Minneapolis young people completing work readiness training and paid career experiences with 72 employer partners throughout the Twin Cities! To celebrate a successful season, Step Up interns and supervisors were invited to attend a Minnesota Twins home game. Step Up also hosted a pre-game ceremony to honor its 2024 intern, supervisor and employer of the year award recipients. Recognized as Step Up's 2024 interns of the year are Emaleah Scott (who interned at Pillsbury United Communities), Kaelin Braziel (Anew Dimension Child Care Center), Jibril Ahmed (Minneapolis Public Schools Sullivan STEM Middle School’s STEM Cycling Class) and Nina Nguyen (Target data stewardship and quality team) . Receiving Step Up’s 2024 Supervisor of the Year awards are Cory Foss from University of Minnesota Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center and Antavia Paredes-Beaulieu from MIGIZI. And recognized as 2024 Step Up employers of the year are Allina Health (represented by Liz Martin) and Agape Child Development Center (represented by Tyseanna Johnson). Our heartfelt congratulations to these talented interns and the dedicated supervisor and employer award winners who are building hope for the future by investing in the young people who will power our communities for decades to come! And special thanks to all of Step Up's dedicated partners for another outstanding summer. Step Up is a partnership of the City of Minneapolis with Achieve Twin Cities, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and Project for Pride in Living (PPL). Learn how you can become a Step Up employer in 2025! https://lnkd.in/gXWb3yHq

We're busy planning our October 24 Achieve Twin Cities Annual Celebration - and we're so thankful for our generous Gold Sponsor, U.S. Bank! U.S. Bank has provided outstanding financial and programmatic support to Achieve over the past two decades, including strong partnership for the Step Up Youth Employment Program, employee volunteers and financial resources. Thank you, U.S. Bank! Get your celebration tickets today and learn how you can join us as a sponsor. https://lnkd.in/gW4HK5gi

When you're at the Minnesota State Fair, be sure to stop by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education booth and meet members of our Achieve team! We're partnering with the Office of Higher Education to provide information to fairgoers on college admissions, financial aid, FAFSA completion and the new North Star Promise, a program that provides free college tuition at all Minnesota State colleges, University of Minnesota campuses and tribal colleges to help make postsecondary education affordable for more Minnesota students. This past weekend, Rose Yackley from our Saint Paul Public Schools Humboldt High School Career Pathway Center joined Aaron Salasek, direct admissions coordinator at the Office of Higher Education, to provide expert information and guidance. Pop by to learn more - and spin the wheel to win sunglasses!

After five years of providing high-quality internships for diverse alumni of our high school programs, we are bringing Achieve College Internships (ACI) program to a close at the end of August. We will be refocusing our staff and financial resources on our signature high school programs, including career and college readiness services in Minneapolis Public Schools and Saint Paul Public Schools high schools and the Step Up Youth Employment Program with City of Minneapolis. In partnership with Minnesota Private College Council, ACI has offered critical career-building experiences for 198 interns from over a dozen colleges and universities in partnership with 95 Twin Cities employers. We believe ACI has had a tremendous impact on the ability of a far wider range of college students to access top-quality, professional internships and professional mentorship. With our employer partners, ACI supported our interns in building greater confidence, skills and assets to kick-off their professional careers, and in some cases, land professional positions immediately after graduation. We are tremendously thankful for our collaboration with the Minnesota Private College Fund and all of our dedicated employers who invested their expertise, time and resources in equipping these talented college interns for future careers. And we are proud of our outstanding intern participants, who are now bringing their enormous skills and talents into leadership roles at many organizations. We are honored to have had the opportunity to collaborate with our community in this impactful program, and we look forward to continued engagement with our employers and program alumni. Learn more and find out how you can get engaged with Achieve as a Step Up internship employer, career event volunteer or financial supporter. https://lnkd.in/g_-J2NCy

Our tremendous thanks to Kraus-Anderson and UCare, two long-time dedicated partners and Silver Sponsors for our October 24 Achieve Twin Cities Annual Celebration! Get your tickets today for this yearly gathering of business, education and community leaders, which will be held at beautiful Nicollet Island Pavilion. https://lnkd.in/gW4HK5gi

The first day of school is just two weeks away! Our career and college readiness coordinators are busy planning for the coming year and excited to reconnect with Minneapolis Public Schools and Saint Paul Public Schools SPPS students. The full team gathered recently at Thomas Edison High School, Camden High School and Como Park High School for team building, reviewing student outcomes from the past year, and updating resources and strategies for high-quality student support in exploring and planning for meaningful, life-sustaining careers. Learn more about our CCR services in 27 MPS and SPPS high schools at https://lnkd.in/dtdMCAhP...

Get your tickets for our October 24 Achieve Annual Celebration, our fall gathering of Achieve supporters, business leaders and educators who come together each year to celebrate our young people and our community’s commitment to equity and student success. You’ll hear inspiring stories, learn about the impact of our career and college readiness programs, and find out how you can join us in equipping young people for great careers and financial independence. Get your tickets and learn about sponsorship opportunities at https://lnkd.in/guKMAiwY. Thanks to our generous Presenting Sponsor, Best Buy!

This is the last week of Achieve’s summer #FAFSA support! If you’re a student or graduate of Minneapolis Public Schools or Saint Paul Public Schools and need help completing the #FAFSA financial aid form, connect with our team at https://lnkd.in/gcqhn935. Through Friday, August 16, we’re offering FAFSA workshops, one-on-one advising, resource materials, drop-in FAFSA help sessions and a dedicated hotline for graduates and families. After Friday, we recommend that you reach out to the financial aid team at your college or connect with your MPS or SPPS career or college center coordinator. We're here to help!

Our Achieve College Internships participant Duane Bogne is having a busy summer as a technology consulting and software services intern at Protiviti, a global technology consulting firm. He's also met lots of new professional colleagues, as seen here at the Proviti Leadership Networking Week's outing to a Minnesota Twins game! Duane connected with Achieve College Internships through his participation in the Trailblazers Leadership Program at the Minnesota Private College Council. This fall Duane will take the experience he's gained back to St. Olaf College, where he is majoring in computer science with concentrations in management studies and data science. Our best wishes to Duane as he takes his next career steps - and thanks to Protovi for providing this great hands-on college internship opportunity!

Meet Marlon, this summer’s Step Up intern for Minneapolis Public Schools Culinary & Wellness Services! Marlon has experienced a wide range of career opportunities this summer, from assisting at a MPS True Food Farm Pollinate Minnesota field trip and helping maintain the MPS bike fleet, to training in graphic design and photography, participating in a financial management education workshop, and being interviewed by other Step Up interns at KBEM-Jazz88. Congrats to Marlon on an outstanding internship and thanks to MPS Culinary and Wellness Services and supervisor Katie Laux for being such a stellar Step Up employer! Step Up is a program of City of Minneapolis in partnership with Achieve Twin Cities, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and Project for Pride in Living (PPL).