After a summer of completing paid internships and starting entry-level jobs across New Haven, 160 New Haven Promise scholars are kicking off the school year with a total of nearly $1 million in hand.
That news came in a New Haven Promise press release, celebrating scholars’ earnings and participation in New Haven Promise’s Back New Haven program.
Read New Haven Promise’s full press release below for more information about Back New Haven and to read about highlighted scholars. For some of the Independent’s coverage of New Haven Promise, read more here, here, and here.
New Haven Promise Scholars Go Back To School With Nearly $1 Million In Summer Earnings
Promise Scholars are returning Back To School and taking with them nearly a million dollars in earnings primarily to Connecticut colleges for the 2024 – 2025 academic year, after a productive summer contributing to the local workforce through internships throughout New Haven. It is a win-win for the businesses as they identify local talent and the students learn in-demand skills local employers need. This year, nearly 160 Scholars completed paid internships and entered entry-level jobs through New Haven Promise’s Back New Haven program. This initiative equips young adults with the skills to secure wealth-building jobs and bolsters economic development by building a diverse talent pipeline for New Haven businesses and beyond. Casey Gargano, New Haven Promise alumna and Talent Manager at Promise, manages a pipeline of more than 850 college students and 1,400 alumni to connect them to internships and full-time jobs.
Kenya Butler, a recent graduate of Southern Connecticut State University, has been interning with Yale New Haven Health through New Haven Promise as a nursing intern since 2021. This summer, while working on the Melanoma unit at Smilow Cancer Hospital, she observed interactions between nurses and physicians with patients, assisted with preparing and cleaning clinical rooms, and getting familiar with the use of EPIC, the leading healthcare software. This fall, Kenya is taking the next step in her journey by starting Quinnipiac University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science Nursing program. Armed with the skills, knowledge, and mentorship she received at Smilow, she looks forward to progressing through the program and becoming an outstanding registered nurse
Naisia Mercado, an assistant director of Southern Connecticut State University’s Access Program, recently hired Janae Reid, a New Haven Promise scholar and 2024 Southern graduate. Naisia, also a Promise alumna and 2015 SCSU graduate, pursued a similar career pathway and is now in a position to mentor and assist hundreds of New Haven Promise scholars in her current role. Janae will support undergraduate Promise Scholars by providing personalized support as they navigate through their college journey through one-on-one guidance, sharing campus resources, and developing community-building initiatives in collaboration with the UAP and New Haven teams. Janae is pursuing a Master’s in Sociology at SCSU. Together, Janae and Niasia are empowering the next generation of New Haven community leaders.
About New Haven Promise’s programs:
- Back New Haven: New Haven Promise has placed nearly 1,400 scholars in full-time jobs and internships in the city since 2014 and 160 placements this year alone. In 2023, NHP was named a Bank of America Neighborhood Builder and received $200,000 in flexible funding to support the expansion of Back New Haven, which aims to double Promise’s impact to more than 300.
- Promise Scholar Program: NHP helps students on their path to college, supports them through college, and facilitates entry-level career placement and leadership development for scholars, 86% of whom return to the Greater New Haven region. By 2030, it is expected that 2,000 Promise Scholar Alumni will return to New Haven and earn $5.7 billion in their lifetime.