Dr. Quinton Morris, Dr. Natasha Kubit, and Robert Simonds welcome Mailia and Yoel to the Key to Change team during Cristo Rey Jesuit Seattle’s “Draft Day,” a celebration marking the placement of students with their Corporate Work Study Program partners. Mailia and Yoel will join Key to Change as Development and Library Assistants, gaining valuable professional experience while contributing to the work of our organization.
The new collaboration builds upon Key to Change’s growing relationship with Cristo Rey, where Key to Change provides violin instruction to high school students as part of the school day. Now, that partnership will extend beyond the music classroom and into the workplace, giving students an opportunity to experience the operations of a nonprofit arts organization from the inside.
Mailia and Yoel will join Key to Change as Development and Library Assistants, working with the organization five days each month throughout the school year. As student associates, they will gain hands-on experience in fundraising, donor relations, data management, inventory organization, and the operational systems that support Key to Change’s programs and mission.
Their responsibilities will include inputting and analyzing data, organizing and maintaining inventory, assisting with development activities, and supporting a range of administrative and organizational projects. Just as importantly, they will have the opportunity to work alongside Key to Change’s staff and learn how different areas of a nonprofit organization, including fundraising, communications, programs, and operations, work together.
“Our partnership with Cristo Rey is about much more than teaching students how to play the violin,” said Dr. Quinton Morris, Founder and Executive Director of Key to Change. “We want young people to see the many ways their talents, education, and interests can translate into meaningful careers and leadership opportunities. By welcoming Mailia and Yoel to our staff, we have an opportunity to invest in their professional development while giving them real responsibilities that contribute to the work of our organization. I hope they leave this experience with new skills, greater confidence, and a deeper understanding of what they are capable of accomplishing.”
Cristo Rey Jesuit Seattle’s Corporate Work Study program employs every student in an entry level professional position five full days each month throughout all four years of high school. Through their work, students earn a portion of the cost of their education while gaining professional experience designed to strengthen their skills, confidence, networks, and preparation for college and future careers.
Before beginning their first professional placements, Cristo Rey student associates complete three weeks of summer training focused on the technical and interpersonal skills necessary to succeed in the workplace. Students also participate in a weekly course throughout the school year that allows them to continue developing those skills and reflect on how their professional experiences connect with their future educational and career goals.
For Key to Change, participating in the Corporate Work Study program represents a natural extension of its mission to develop self aware young leaders. While music education remains at the center of the organization’s work, the partnership creates another avenue through which young people can develop discipline, communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and professional confidence.
The experience will also expose Mailia and Yoel to an important side of arts organizations that audiences rarely see. Behind every lesson, concert, scholarship, and student opportunity are systems for raising resources, cultivating relationships, managing information, coordinating programs, and ensuring that an organization can sustain and expand its impact. By participating in that work, Mailia and Yoel will not simply observe Key to Change’s operations. They will contribute to them.
“We want their time at Key to Change to be substantive,” Morris added. “They will be learning, but they will also be members of our team whose ideas and contributions matter. Part of preparing young people for leadership is giving them meaningful opportunities to practice it.”
The addition of the Corporate Work Study partnership marks another step forward in the relationship between Key to Change and Cristo Rey Jesuit Seattle. Together, the organizations are creating opportunities for students to develop both as musicians and as emerging professionals, connecting what they learn in the classroom with the possibilities awaiting them beyond it.
Key to Change looks forward to welcoming Mailia and Yoel and to watching them learn, contribute, and grow throughout the year.
