Making Change

For most teenagers, high school is a time to explore career paths and plan for the future. But for young people from low-income backgrounds, high stakes and high barriers can stand in the way of success.
  
A 2024 study by the Institute of Education Sciences found that high school students from the lowest income bracket were nearly half as likely to earn a degree compared to their high-income peers. Disparities like these lower earning potentials for low-income students, making it harder to achieve upward mobility.
  
So how do we help these young people break through? That’s the question Genesys Works is working to solve. Through career training, college coaching, and a paid internship program, the nonprofit aims to help underprivileged students reach their full potential.
  
“It’s an amazing program,” said Vinette Brown, Director of External Relations at Genesys Works National Capital Region. “Our main purpose is to give students from under-resourced communities a head start in their careers. We give them a jump on the skills they need to succeed in the professional world.”
  
Approximately 62% of students in Genesys Works qualify for free or reduced lunch at school, and nearly 60% will be the first in their families to attend college. Abby McKenna, the Program Manager at Genesys Works NCR, has seen the obstacles these students face firsthand.
  
“For so many young people, it’s not that they don’t want to work or they aren’t talented enough,” she explained. “But they face logistical challenges like access to transportation, resources and technology.”
  
Genesys Works helps break down those barriers by providing resources, opportunities, and training to help students succeed. Since the National Capital Region chapter was founded in 2016, it has served over 196 students from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. And that support is paying off: in 2024, 90% of participants enrolled in college and 75% of older alumni were earning more than at least one parent.

Students apply to the program the summer between their junior and senior years of high school. After making it through a selective application and interview process, they complete a rigorous summer of professional training. Those selected for the internship program then complete a one-year paid internship with a community partner, gaining firsthand experience in fields like business and information technology.
  
The experience not only gives them a professional head start, but also encourages tremendous personal development. Abby says that watching participants grow gives her hope for the future.
  
“I think that if anyone has any stereotypes about Gen Z they just need to spend one day with our young professionals and that will just immediately fly out the window,” said Abby. “They are hard-working, they are talented, they are driven, they are goal-oriented, and they want to be tomorrow’s changemakers.”
  
Levon Anayan, Commercial Lender, SVP at MainStreet Bank, first heard about Genesys Works while enrolled in a professional leadership development program. His team worked closely with the organization for their final group project, and he was deeply moved by the work he saw them doing.
  
“What they do for these kids is fantastic,” Levon said. “They give kids from underserved communities an opportunity to grow and build their careers. It’s such a great program and I feel very passionate about it.”
  
Levon now serves on the National Capital Region advisory board and volunteers as a guest speaker at events, recently presenting the “Breakthrough Student of the Year Award” when MainStreet Bank sponsored their 2025 gala. For the past two years, he’s inspired a group of his colleagues to donate through the bank’s employee-directed Making Change giving program, resulting in collective donations of over $11,000 to support Genesys Works’ mission.
  
“Donations are really the fuel that makes this possible,” said Abby. “It takes money and resources to help our students overcome the barriers in place to their career success. These donations are what makes sure talented young people can do meaningful work and better their futures.”