Career Pathways
Malika M. came to the Urban Youth Empowerment Program at the Fort Wayne Urban League in 2018. She was a quiet and shy 15-year-old who was a student with good grades at Concordia Lutheran High School. She went through FWUL’s month-long Career Readiness Curriculum training successfully and stated her desire to become a nurse as her career choice.
Being raised by her grandmother, Malika was given insight into seeking the best and doing her best regardless of adverse circumstances like not having her parents raising her. In our training she expressed that she was not sure how to even go about trying to become a nurse. Now she does her intern work on the weekends and is on track to go to college to become a nurse with Lutheran Hospital. She has also opened a bank account with a debit card and has a savings plan. At the Urban League she learned about budgeting, goal-setting, and saving money as well.
Malika’s case manager secured an outstanding agreement with Lutheran Hospital for youth that want to be in the Healthcare profession. UYEP participants will be paid by Fort Wayne Urban League for two weeks as a volunteer in their Job Work Experience at $7.25 per hour. The youth will then have the chance to be hired by Lutheran Hospital at $11.00 per hour if they successfully complete the two week initial period. When the students complete working 120 to 200 hours they can intern at Lutheran Hospital on the weekends while finishing High School.
Upon maintaining a GPA and graduating, Lutheran Hospital will give them a full ride through the Lutheran School of Nursing, and then hire them as a Nurse. This full ride scholarship was made available to Malika, and she is taking advantage of the opportunity.
Malika is an outstanding young lady who is not only on track but excelling in her school work. Malika has used all the skills she was taught in UYE—soft skills, work ethic, team work, conflict resolution in the workplace, and 40 Developmental Asset—to get and keep the position at Lutheran Hospital.
Malika was a featured speaker at the 2018 Fort Wayne Urban League Gala and was stellar in her delivery. She told the audience, “Thank you to the Urban League, I would not have made it this far without you!”
To learn more about programs at the Fort Wayne Urban League Click Here.