The overview
Ladders for Leaders has three different programs—a summer internship program; Ladders for Leaders University; and a youth job match portal, which connects students with employers.
The paid internship program is geared toward high school students 16-18 years old, who are seeking work experience. Interns are employed at a company from June to July for a minimum of six weeks, typically working 20 hours a week, Bright said.
“We align [interns] with companies that match their career goals,” Bright said. “Whatever it is that they think they want to do, we find professionals to match them with so that they can get that experience.”
Job industries Ladders for Leaders has partnered with include business, STEM, arts, health, nonprofit, law, education and construction. Companies internships have previously been available with include:
- Think Group Austin
- Ascension Seton
- Code Ninjas
- Little Explorers Pediatric Dentistry
- Highway 71 Veterinary Hospital
- Austin Urban Technology Movement
- St. David's HealthCare
Internship applications will open in mid-January, and students will submit their application along with a $25 fee, which is waived for low-income students, Bright said.
All applicants must complete 80% of the free Ladders for Leaders University program, which Bright started to prepare students for internships, she said. The program’s hybrid sessions include training on business etiquette, financial literacy, resume writing, LinkedIn creation and more.
The internship program accepted 15 interns in 2019, its first year, and Bright’s goal for next year is 75. Any student who submits an application and meets program requirements will be interviewed by Ladders for Leaders.
“That interview experience is valuable for high school students, and it sets them up to teach them how to do it in the future,” Bright said.
According to a pre- and post-survey the program sends to interns, 90% of students see an increase in skills and comfortability in the workplace, Bright said.
By the numbers
Interns are guaranteed an hourly pay of $12 through the program, but some interns have received $20 per hour from employers, Bright said. Ladders for Leaders holds fundraisers to make up the difference when employers can’t afford the hourly pay.
It's important students are paid through the internship to be taught financial literacy, Bright said, citing skills such as learning where their checks are deposited, how to manage their account and fees associated with overdrafts.
“These are all valuable lessons that need to be taught before these kids leave the house,” Bright said.
What else
Ladders for Leaders has 13 members on its board of directors, two staff members, supplemental staff and 45 rotating volunteers throughout the year. Volunteers teach the Ladders for Leaders University classes, and work at intern signing day, fundraisers and the end of year internship celebration.
At the celebration, two graduating seniors are awarded $1,000 scholarships. After expanding from Williamson County to Travis County in 2022, Bright said she hopes the program can impact more students in the future.
“In five to 10 years, I hope that we're able to grow and expand outside of Austin,” Bright said. “My goal would be to get into Houston and Dallas, and to have kids in all of those cities getting these opportunities.”
The inspiration
Bright’s daughter had plans to be a reproductive endocrinologist, and she took dual-credit classes in high school. During her first year at college, she changed her major three times, and Bright said she contemplated what could have been done differently.
“If she would have had an opportunity to experience careers—other careers—then something would have sparked [in] her,” Bright said.
Bright used a different approach with her son who was entering high school soon, and put him through two years of the Ladders for Leaders program. In December, he’s set to graduate from the University of Houston with a degree in business finance, the major he started as, Bright said.
