On the path to self-sufficiency and beyond,
our job partners and alumni share their success.
Makiah Watson, Chicago 2018
Makiah Watson always loved school, from pencils and pens to textbooks and even homework. She dreamed of becoming a teacher. but felt
unprepared for a…
Roselany Montero, Baltimore 2018
Roselany Montero has big dreams — and thanks to Urban Alliance, she feels like her dreams are within reach. “They prepared us to do anything,”…
Debby Jaldin, Northern Virginia 2018
When Debby Jaldin and her mother used to pass by Virginia Tech’s campus, they would joke about how she wanted to go there one day. That day came…
Valeria Belmonte - Northern Virginia 2018
In high school, Valeria Belmonte was mostly focused on working. She had a job at Chipotle, and didn’t really see herself going on to college. So…
Rene Santos, Northern Virginia 2018
Rene Santos was confused. He was all over the place. He didn’t know what his future would hold. Then he found Urban Alliance.
“Before that I…
Dejuan Johnson, Montgomery County 2018
Before finding Urban Alliance, Dejuan Johnson, an ambitious and driven young man, encountered mostly closed doors. “Before this program, I was…
Khadijah Gikeneh, DC 2018
Khadijah Gikeneh grew up east of the Anacostia River, a traditionally underserved part of Washington, DC, and experienced a traumatic childhood marked…
Eva Mercado, Northern Virginia 2018
Before joining Urban Alliance, Eva Mercado worked alongside her entire family at night in a newspaper warehouse that “lacked ventilation, was…
Blanca Zelaya, Northern Virginia 2018
Blanca Zelaya was eating lunch in her high school cafeteria when she overheard an Urban Alliance (UA) staff member telling her friend about the…
Elisabethe Ocon Calderon, Chicago 2013
In 2012, Elisabethe Calderon made a decision that transformed her senior year of high school and shaped her plans for the future. She attended an…
Glenda Flores, Northern Virginia 2017
Glenda Flores has always wanted to be a pediatrician, but when she shared that goal with her school counselor, she was told it wasn’t a realistic…
Eddie Amoah, Northern Virginia 2016
At first, Eddie Amoah wanted to quit his Urban Alliance internship. But his UA program coordinator had seen how much he had already grown during…
Mariyamawit (Mariyam) Shiferaw, Northern Virginia 2018
2018 Northern Virginia intern Mariyamawit (Mariyam) Shiferaw wants to work in the fashion industry after college.
“She’s focused; she’s…
Idalia Zavala-Mejia, DC 2018
Idalia Zavala-Mejia’s plans for the future radically changed after joining Urban Alliance. She never saw herself attending college, but now wants to…
Lauryn Hill, Baltimore 2017
Lauryn came to Urban Alliance with no desire to attend college. But while working with her mentor at the U.S. Centers for Medicaid and Medicare…
Stephon Walker, Chicago 2017
A DeVry University Success Story - "People are always here to help me."
Like many young people, Stephon Walker approached his senior year of high school with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. For him, graduation would…
Baltimore
William Bates
Baltimore, 2013
William is now an employee at his high school internship site, Wells Fargo, and a senior at Bowie State University majoring in Accounting. “I looked at the program as more than a job,” William said. “It was an opportunity to better myself.”
Assima Egbame, DC 2014
Assima Egbame participated in the Urban Alliance High School Internship Program as a senior at Coolidge Senior High School. From the very beginning…
Alumni Spotlight: Raul Alvarenga
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Raul Alvarenga’09
Urban Alliance is honored to provide young people with the skills necessary to be successful both…
Alumni Spotlight: Mbachur Mbenga
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Mbachur Mbenga ’11
The Alumni Services department is fortunate to serve wonderful Alumni with various backgrounds and career…
Alumni Spotlight: Theodore Stewart
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Theodore Stewart ’11
Can you believe that there are over 1200 DC Alumni, and over 100 Baltimore Alumni? The numbers…
Alumni Spotlight: Theodore Stewart '11
Theodore Stewart ’11 is one of many Baltimore Urban Alliance Alumni who balances a full-time course load and a work-study job on campus.
Alumni Spotlight: Lori-Ann McKenzie-Henry
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Lori-Ann McKenzie-Henry ’07
Margaret Murray Washington Career Senior High School and UA alumna Lori-Ann McKenzie-Henry ‘07 had a…
Alumni Spotlight: Jasmine Gray
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: DC ALUMNA JASMINE GRAY ‘09
Many Interns initially complain about menial tasks like filing or database entry tasks, but DC UA…
Alumni Spotlight: Reggie Tarver II
Elizabeth City State University, UA Class of ‘09
Interned at Corporate Executive Board