Congratulations to Year Up Charlotte Graduates!

It is such an honor to come together to celebrate your accomplishments. When you made the decision to join Year Up, you made a commitment to yourself. You knew that you had the drive and the talent. You knew that with a little coaching and an open door, you could prove yourself in a Corporate Internship.

Our time together full of feedback, classwork, presentations, and Zoom calls. You channeled this training and you showed up ready to learn and work on your internship. Your grit and determination is paying off —you are accepting employment in the area you studied, you are expanding your knowledge by continuing your education, and you are interviewing for careers that might have felt unobtainable a year ago.

On behalf of the Year Up Charlotte staff, I want to share how proud we are of you. We are honored to have walked alongside you. You listened to the guidance and advice and made it your own. We are beaming with pride.

Your time with Year Up is not over. You are now part of the 20,000-strong Year Up alumni community. It’s your turn to volunteer and be a guest speaker, it’s your turn to provide feedback to an intern to help them develop their professionalism, and it’s your turn to hire a future graduate. Lift while you climb!

Thank you to our partners, volunteers, supporters, families, and friends for your commitment to closing the Opportunity Divide and for having an unwavering belief in the potential of our students. Together we are building a runway for many more people.

With great admiration,

Charles Dowdy

Site Director, Year Up Charlotte