New internship is music to the ears of Simon Youth Foundation students

Josue Cortes has no background in any kind of engineering, but in just a few short days of working with an established music producer and DJ, Cortes can assemble and run a complicated sound board.

“I understand what all the components do, the roles they play, and I can hook up and operate the sound board on my own,” Cortes says.

Cortes is a senior-year student at the SimonYouth Academy at Hickory Hollow Mall in Nashville, Tenn., which is a non-traditional high school that operates in partnership between Simon Youth Foundation and the Metro Nashville Public Schools. He’s learned the art of using a sound board from Victor Chatman, a radio-mix DJ with a nationally syndicated show and a music producer and promoter who also runs Victor Chatman Studios.

Victor Chatman, right, and SYF students
working with a sound board

Throughout the fall semester of the 2011-2012 academic year, Chatman is mentoring Cortes and four other young men from the academy, offering lessons that go well beyond music. For their internship work, which consists of at least two one-hour sessions per week,  the students are receiving credits toward various courses as well as gaining much needed experience.

“The guys are doing well so far, and I’ve been trying to express the importance of them having good conduct in everything they do,” Chatman says.

Chatman was connected with the students because his studios also are located in the Hickory Hollow Mall.

“Simon Youth Foundation secures learning space for schools inside of malls, and that puts our students in a location where they are surrounded by successful businesses,” says Michael Flushman, the Principal at the academy. “It gives our school and teachers unique opportunities to connect the students with professional development and internship or job opportunities.”

Flushman says Chatman also produces marketing and promotional events for clients like Macy’s Corporation, the NFL, and the NBA. Flushman believes connecting his students with a successful entrepreneur ignites hope in the students for their future.

“Victor is offering our students real, life-changing experiences by exposing them to his business and showing them the dedication it takes to be successful,” Flushman says.

For Cortes the experience with Chatman is less about engineering a sound board than it is about engineering a bright future for himself.

“This is really helping me understand what it will take to achieve my plans for after high school,” Cortes says.

“This is going to be a win-win for us all as we spread this throughout the community,” Chatman says. “People will see the great things that are happening in and through the Simon Youth Academy at Hickory Hollow.”