By Olivia Martinez, Talent Development Lead and  Samantha Vega, StreetWise Alumni Council Chair 

At StreetWise Partners, we take immense pride in our alumni, whose journeys beyond our mentorship program continue to inspire and drive our mission forward. We are always delighted to have our alumni pay it forward as one-time volunteers or as mentors. Another unique way some alumni contribute to StreetWise Partners is through our Alumni Council. Since 2021, we have convened a group of alumni who are dedicated to improving StreetWise Partners mentees’ experience and strengthening our program.  

Each year, the Alumni Council creates and executes a set of projects to strengthen the mentee experience. Last year, council members joined two separate focus groups to provide their ideas and feedback about StreetWise’s marketing materials and programmatic curriculum. Through their participation, StreetWise Partners updated our program curriculum to include more structured content for our job seekers during the Navigation Phase of the StreetWise Bridge Program. Members also helped to plan multiple virtual events for the alumni community. They were highlighted during our Making It series to share their success stories with our current job seekers and even facilitated an event focused on career transitions. For the first time ever, the Alumni Council hosted regional in-person events in the D.C. Metro Area and New York City. We gathered alumni from various program cohorts to meet and network and it was a huge success! 

This year, we have 12 new and returning members who are excited to build upon existing projects and launch new ones! We will continue to plan and execute in person and virtual community experiences. We’re also excited to lend our stories and voices to engage more volunteers. This year, council members will become volunteers themselves during our Signature Speed Networking or Mock Interview Days. Meet our members below.