Empowering apprenticeships for middle schoolers

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Spark students across the country spent the fall semester exploring exciting careers with mentors in a wide range of fields, from archaeology to marketing to software engineering. Along with learning how to write code, argue legal cases, conduct scientific experiments, and much more, Spark’s seventh and eighth graders gained important social and emotional skills, such as how to collaborate, ask questions, and set goals.

In our last update, we introduced you to four of those Spark students: MaryJay, Kalin, Amirah, and Zavonie. In December, all four officially completed their first semester of the apprenticeship program by participating in Discovery Nights at their schools, the celebratory events where Spark students present their final projects.

In Los Angeles, Spark student MaryJay showed off a bound copy of the first four chapters of the story she wrote with her mentor Danielle, a proposal writer at Cornerstone OnDemand. Over the course of her apprenticeship with Danielle, MaryJay sharpened her literary skills, learned about character development, and built a strong relationship with a role model who shares her passion for writing. After seeing what their daughter had accomplished through Spark, MaryJay’s parents expressed gratitude that she was able to spend time with someone who could guide her through the writing process. They – and MaryJay - are excited that she will have the chance to learn more about writing and publishing through a second apprenticeship with Danielle this spring.

Meanwhile, in Oakland, Spark student Kalin invited Discovery Night guests to explore the website he built with his mentor Garrett, the CEO of Rockbot, a music app start-up. To make the site, Kalin learned coding languages, designed his own logo, and curated content that reflected his interests and personality, including pictures, videos, and music. On top of those digital skills, Kalin learned a valuable lesson about being confident in yourself and acting on your dreams. As he wrote on his website (keptcalm.com), “My Rockbot mentors turned a good idea into an even better reality. And now, they’re a thriving business. I hope to do something similar when I get older, or maybe even now!”

At his school’s Discovery Night in Chicago, Spark student Zavonie shared the confidence and public speaking skills he learned through his apprenticeship with James, a local attorney, when he delivered a speech about his experience at his mentor’s law firm to an audience of almost 100 people. His project included a poster highlighting a key talent he honed with James: the nuanced art of negotiation. After impressing James with his insatiable “appetite for learning” in the fall, Zavonie is eager to dive into his second Spark apprenticeship this spring, where he hopes to keep developing the skills he built at the law firm while exploring how his love of sports could connect to a career.

In Philadelphia, Discovery Night guests got a glimpse of the broadcast journalism skills Spark student Amirah gained as an apprentice at public media provider WHYY. With her mentor Lindsey, a WHYY digital producer, Amirah created a “man on the street” video featuring one-on-one interviews with people about winter fashion trends. After her semester with Lindsey, Amirah had not only learned professional filming and editing techniques, but had also noticeably improved her communication skills and self-confidence.

 As Amirah, Zavonie, Kalin, and Maryjay join hundreds of other Spark students in Philadelphia, Chicago, LA, and the Bay Area for a second semester of hands-on apprenticeships this spring, we’re excited to cheer them on as they explore, learn, and create with their mentors. In the meantime, we want to hear from you! Visit Spark on Facebook and let us know: How has a mentor inspired you to turn an idea into reality?