A Season of Growth and Achievement
September 16, 2025
A Rewarding Summer for All
This summer, Elevate+ proudly placed 34 talented interns across a diverse range of organizations—28 with nonprofits and 6 with for-profit hosts. Their roles spanned museum tour guides, teachers, nonprofit management, marketing, financial and data analysis, community engagement, operations, music media management, program coordination, learning and engagement, and business administration.
The results were extraordinary. Feedback from both interns and mentors underscored the value of these placements:
- 85% of interns reported that their experience far exceeded their expectations (the remaining 15% said it was a good experience).
- 100% of interns said they feel more prepared for the future.
- Mentors unanimously rated their interns’ performance as good (30%) or excellent (70%)—and all said they would recommend working with Elevate+ to others.
Beyond their day-to-day roles, interns participated in Elevate+’s signature professional development programming, which built essential skills, expanded networks, and deepened their awareness of the working world.
In Their Own Words: Intern Reflections
“I am truly grateful for this internship opportunity and the valuable experience I have gained throughout the summer. I can’t thank this program enough!”
“Honestly, this was a great experience. I felt a part of something bigger despite my self-doubts—doubts which I’ve now gotten rid of.”
“My internship experience surpassed expectations. The training and team were welcoming, clear, and supportive, which gave me the confidence to do the work I was assigned.”
“I think this internship was a great starting point for real-world opportunities.”
Voices of Mentors
“We are so lucky to have had Janiaha on our team. She brought such warmth, insight, and talent, and she will be greatly missed. We can’t wait to see what she does next—she’s destined for incredible things.”
“I would recommend Sade for any job in any organization. She was an outstanding intern and absolutely exceeded all of my expectations!”
“Isaiah was a joy to have in the office!”
“George is very reliable and very easy to work with. He always had a great attitude when assigned new tasks.”
“I would hire Diane today to join my team permanently if I could.”
From Our Founding Executive Director
Andrew Walker reflected on the summer with deep pride:
“This group of interns was filled with quality individuals who added tremendous value to the organizations where they worked. I loved getting to know each of them—they all have such bright futures. The hardest part was saying goodbye at the end of the summer.”
Together, these interns not only gained career-defining experiences but also strengthened the communities they served. Their achievements stand as a testament to the Elevate+ mission: expanding access to meaningful, paid internships that open doors and change lives.
We are grateful to all of our hosting partners, which provided rich experiences to all of the students.
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The Power Behind the Transformation
Growth, Impact, and Inspiration
How the Internet is Changing the Way We Connect and Find Opportunities
The Elevate+ Board Adds Economic Mobility Expert as Trustee
Elevate+ Grows Stronger
Elevate+ Interns Shine Across the Country
A Guide for Thriving in Your First Internship By Ruqqayah Khaliq
Summit, NJ – Elevate+, a nonprofit dedicated to disrupting systemic inequality through paid internships and career development for underserved students, is pleased to announce the appointment of Danielle West-Augustin to its Board of Trustees.
At Elevate+, we believe that every student deserves access to formative, paid work experiences that build confidence, spark ambition, and open doors. Vital to our success are the organizations that help us find the remarkable students we serve: our Talent Sourcing Partners. Going to Where the Students Are Elevate+ works with a growing network of high schools, colleges, and community-based programs across the country to identify talented students from low-income and marginalized communities. We go to where the students are—partnering with organizations that already have deep relationships with young people working hard to overcome systemic barriers. To be eligible for an Elevate+ internship, students must meet key criteria: they must come be marginalized and from a low-income background, and they must demonstrate achievement or potential in any aspect of their lives—whether academic, leadership, work ethic, or personal growth. We depend on our partners to connect us to students meeting our criteria. We then introduce the students to the Elevate+ community of host partners providing internship opportunities. Two of our original talent partners are KIPP NJ , a high-performing charter school network in Newark, and The PEP Program , a Summit-based enrichment initiative that helps students get into college. The Elevate+ network has grown to include over 25 partners across New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Ohio, Tennessee, Colorado, Texas, and California. Partners we’ve added include Cleveland State University , the University of Colorado Denver , Fisk University , Drew University , and The Academy 365 , to name just a few. Two of our most recent additions are West Side High School in Newark and CT State Community College in Norwalk . These relationships are more than just talent pipelines for Elevate+—they are partnerships built on mutual trust and a shared commitment to student success. Two of our sourcing partners recently shared their perspectives on working with Elevate+. Here’s what they had to say about our collaboration: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A Perspective from Higher Edge New London, Connecticut Katie Hallisey, Executive Director
