San Diego Workforce Partnership, Inc.
The San Diego Workforce Partnership’s entry was unique, in that it was an essay submitted by one of that WIB’s SYEP participants as part of a contest among all 600 of the San Diego Unified School District’s youth participants. Michael Gaulden, the essay’s author, read his essay at both the SYEP graduation event on the deck of the USS Midway in front of 600 of his peers, and at San Diego Workforce Partnership’s policy board meeting of local elected officials.
Michael’s essay tells the story of how he and his family had nowhere to stay and no food to eat until he found the Workforce Partnership’s summer youth employment “Hire-A-Youth” program.
After his speech on the USS Midway, Mark Cafferty, San Diego Workforce Partnership president and CEO, met with Michael and discussed his interests. Michael stated that he loved writing. The Workforce Partnership offered Michael a writing internship assisting the WIB’s vice president of communication 12 hours a week. Michael’s mother is working as a security guard and the family now has an apartment.
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