Page B2
May 18. 2005
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De La Salle Builds Resumes Early
edition
LOOK FORWARD
Inner-city youth
gain experience
in workforce
B y K atherine K ovacich
T he P ortland O bserver
In 2001, De La Salle North Catho­
lic High School opened w ith 71
bright ninth graders ready to learn.
T his year, those proud students
will be the first class to graduate
from the school as seniors, m oving
onto bigger and better things in life.
And th ey ’ve already g o t som e
hefty resum es.
T hrough an intensive C orporate
Internship Program , the school pro­
m otes self-sufficiency by provid­
in g c a r e e r tr a in in g , p e r s o n a l
m entoring and paid em ploym ent.
O nce a w eek for eight hours, De La
Salle students go to w ork in one o f
60 offices around Portland, build­
ing jo b skills m any people d o n ’t
have until th ey ’re a few years out o f
college.
“It’s really about giving kids
options to believe they can achieve
m ore,” said M ike Jacobson, d irec­
to r o f C orporate Internship P ro­
gram at De La Salle.
T his year, a w hopping 98 p er­
cent o f seniors are headed o ff to
higher education in the fall, with
m ore than 50 percent accepted to
private, 4-year schools. M ore than
$1.2 m illion has been aw arded in
college scholarships.
Rated as the second high school
in the nation and first in the north­
w estern states to feature a w ork-
study program o f such m agnitude,
De La Salle is called the “School
T hat W orks.” The program takes
afterC risto Rey Jesuit High School,
a corporate internship school in
dow ntow n C hicago. N ext year, 11
m ore schools in the nation will take
after this model.
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photo by K atherine
K ovacich /T he P ortland O bserver
Annie Nguyen, a junior at De La Salle North Catholic High School, works at UBS Financial Services
in downtown Portland one day a week through the school's Corporate Internship Program.
T he schools are placed in inner
cities by the C hristian B rothers, the
Jesuits, and other religious orders
to keep their historical m ission o f
serving the poor. T he m ajority o f
students are actually non-C atho-
lic, non-w hite and from eco n o m i­
cally challenged families. M ore than
80 percent o f the current 193 stu ­
dents at De La Salle qualify for free
o r reduced lunch.
A large portion o f tuition cost is
co v ered by the program , leaving a
little m ore than $2,000 left to pay out
o f pocket. Still, this is a substantial
savings for inner city youth w ant­
ing to attend a private school.
Stephen R andolph, a senior at
D e La Salle, w ill attend H ofstra
U niversity in N ew Y ork this fall
w ith a m ajo r in psychology.
Job-w ise, he said, m any o f his
peers outside o f D e La Salle can
only find w ork in a fast food restau­
rant, at a video store o r in a m ovie
theatre.
“It puts us in a pool for more
professional jo b s,” Randolph said.
“T he relationships w e’ve built have
given us a safety net. It m akes is to
w here w e’ve proved w e ’re able to
do the work. It m akes us m ore re­
sp o n sib le w ith o u r sch o o lw o rk
because w e associate w ork and
school together. It gives us a sense
o f responsibility.”
A nnie N guyen has been w ork­
ing at UBS Financial Services since
last fall, doing clerical w ork with
M icrosoft Excel, clien t research,
and putting together portfolios. She
even attends corporate m eetings
for the sake o f experience.
H er dem eanor isn ’t one o f a ju n ­
ior in high school, but o f a profes­
sional behind her ow n desk. She
w as recently trained to w ork on
litigation m atters.
“ I like how they have big projects
for m e,” N guyen said. “ I have a
head start. It’s going to help so
m uch,” she said. “ It’s helped m e
feel co m fo rtab le around adults.
W hen I com e here I’m not the sam e
person I am w hen I’m hanging out
w ith friends.”
M ore than 70,000 hours o f co r­
porate internship w ork has been
undertaken by this y ea r’s gradu­
ates.
“T he w ork study exposes them
continued
on page B3
Shattering the Minority Glass Ceiling
Discrimination
still found in
the workplace
Pow erful m inority executives
have som e thinking that minorities
no longer face discrim ination in the
workplace. T he reality is that suc­
cess stories are the exception and
not the rule. R eaching the top is
more a result o f perseverance, talent
and am bition than w orkplace equal­
ity.
C ontrary to popular opinion, m i­
norities seeking success in the w ork­
place regularly enco u n ter a variety
o f roadblocks that prevent them
from reaching th eir full potential.
M any find them selves in a “w ait
and see” position w hile their w hite
m ale peers are “fast tracked” early
in their careers, enabling them to
reach executive levels fairly quickly.
U nfortunately, the success o f
m inorities in the w orkplace is often
attributed to affirm ative action or
luck, and not skill and talent. T o
overcom e these obstacles, m inori­
ties often find they m ust perform
above and beyond w hat is expected
to get the sam e treatm ent o f others
that have low er levels o f perfor­
m ance, and still m any continue to
earn significantly less than their
Minorities often find they must
perform above and beyond what is
expected to get the same treatment
o f others that have lower levels
o f performance.
w hite m ale peers.
D esp ite the seem in g ly o v e r­
w helm ing odds, there are steps m i­
norities can take so that they not
only survive, but also becom e very
successful in corporate A m erica.
D evelop y o u r ability to p ro m o te
y o u rself. Raise your visibility by
serving on high-profile board and
com m ittees, having your nam e sub­
m itted for aw ards and seeking out
speech opportunities. N otify local
n ew sp ap ers ab o u t y o u r acco m ­
plishm ents and contributions to the
com m unity.
A pply p ro b lem -so lv in g skills to
w o rk p la c e ra c ism . Focus on how
to deal w ith im m ediate problem s
w ithout jeo p ard izin g your stand­
ing in the com pany.
D e m o n s tra te th a t y o u a r e ex ­
ecutive m a te ria l by identifying key
issues in com plex situations, show ­
ing resp ect fo r ex p ertise o f others,
acting quickly to get a plan m oving
an d d isc u ssin g b u sin e ss issu es
w ith authority.
I xsim the unwritten rules ofyour
organization. The majority o f deci­
sion-m akers in corporate A merican
are w hite males, so set out to learn
their standards o f behavior, and
study any nuances concerning m i­
norities.
Develop a diverse network and
cultivate strategic allies within your
organization. D uringtim esofm erg­
ers, lay-offs and reorganizations,
w hich m inorities are often tw ice as
likely to be negatively affected,
y o u ’ll fare better because o f your
connections.
T hose that persevere, strive to
learn, accept challenges, gain ad eep
understanding o f the cultures and
unw ritten rules o f the organizations
for whom they work, create an adapt­
able gam e plan that they follow,
build alliances, and develop refined
people skills, will find the clim b up
the corporate ladder, one filled with
rew ards and achievem ents.
North Portland Bible College
A unique evening college to
begin your training in Christian
ministry or enhance your current
ministry effectiveness. We offer
an Associate of Christian Minis­
try degree that enables students
to transfer to W arner Pacific
College as a junior, certificates
in Biblical Studies, C hristian
Teaching, Biblical Lay Counsel­
ing, and Pastoral Ministries.
Come by the campus at
4905 N Vancouver Avenue in Portland, Oregon and ask for Earnestine
Cellestine, Vice President of Administration and Student Advisor. You may also
contact us by telephone at 503-288-2919, email: NPBCAdm@aol.com or view
us online at: northportlandbiblecollege.org.
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