Miami, FL (PRWEB) July 12, 2017
The workforce development nonprofit Year Up South Florida (YUSFL) announced today that its Class 9 graduation ceremony will take place on Wednesday, July 12, at Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus.
The graduation will recognize the hard work and determination of 29 students who have successfully completed Year Up’s rigorous job training program. Students take one semester of technical and professional skills classes, followed by a semester-long internship at a top local company like American Express and JPMorgan Chase. Throughout the year, students earn college credits towards a degree from Miami Dade College.
The ceremony will also honor YUSFL’s 2017 Business and Community Partners, including: Nancy Ancrum, Editorial Board Member of the Miami Herald, who will receive the Champion Award; Hugo Perez, Managing Director for United Data Technologies (UDT), who will receive the Community Partner Award; Malcolm Browne, Director of the Commercial Acquisition Group at American Express, who will receive the Business Partner Award; and Fernando Ruiz, Market Director at JPMorgan Chase, who will receive the Urban Empowerment Award.
YUSFL will also introduce the members of Year Up South Florida’s Founding Local Board of Directors, who held their inaugural meeting on February 21, 2017. The members include: Michael A. Carpenter, Chairman and CEO of Southgate Holdings, Inc.; Licenia Rojas, Vice President of Technology at American Express; Martin G. Burkett, Co-Chair of the Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity Practice at Akerman; Daniel J. Salazar, Vice President of Middle Market Banking & Specialized Industries at JPMorgan Chase; Josselyn Ruiz, Programmer Analyst at American Express; and Edward D. Jardine, Management Consultant and Executive Advisor, and Former Regional CEO of Procter & Gamble.
“As Year Up South Florida commemorates its five-year anniversary, we’re thrilled to celebrate the continued success of our young adults and the growth of our program, which will expand to serve more than 220 students by 2019,” said Leopoldo ‘Polo’ Coronado Sada, Executive Director of Year Up South Florida. “Our new Board of Directors will help guide us as we scale to meet the demand for our skilled, motivated talent among businesses in South Florida, which continues to increase through the hard work of our graduates and the support of our business and community partners.”
Year Up South Florida currently serves 120 young adults each year, and plans to serve 220 students annually by 2019. Since its launch on the campus of Miami Dade College in 2012, YUSF has helped more than 360 young adults (ages 18-24, without college degrees) gain in-demand technical, professional and communication skills in Information Technology, Sales Support and Business Operations. As college students, young adults have access to the library, tutoring resources, and other services offered by the college, in addition to the services offered by Year Up. As students work toward completing a degree at Miami Dade College, Year Up prepares graduates to launch a professional career. Learn more about YUSFL by visiting us on Facebook.
About Year Up Inc.
Year Up's mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Year Up achieves this mission through a high support, high expectation model that combines marketable job skills, stipends, internships and college-level coursework. Its holistic approach focuses on students' professional and personal development to place these young adults on a viable path to economic self-sufficiency. Year Up currently serves more than 3,600 students annually across 24 campuses in Arizona, Baltimore, Bay Area, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Greater Atlanta, Greater Boston, Greater Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, National Capital Region, New York City, Providence, Puget Sound, South Florida and Wilmington. To learn more, visit http://www.yearup.org, and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter: @YearUp