Meet CVS Pathways to Logistics Graduate Lisa Michell Adair-Averitte

Simon Youth Foundation and CVS Caremark partnered for the Pathways to Logistics program to offer internships for selected Simon Youth Academy students. This opportunity exposed students to careers in logistics and helped broaden students’ educational, personal and professional development. Lisa Michell Adair Averitte is one of the graduates who completed the program and this is her story.

SYF: Tell us a little about your background and how you came to the Simon Youth Pacers Academy.

Adair-Averitte: I wasn’t motivated to get anything done in school. The academy changed my attitude. I’ve always had a problem getting things done 100% right. I used to just get things done so they were done and not check it. Everyone’s kept me on task to get things done on-time and right. Now I do that with everything.

SYF: What did you do during the internship?

Adair-Averitte: This was my first job experience, so I got to see how everything works. In the distribution center, I mostly packed boxes and there was a certain way of doing things. I had to get everything in, make sure there was enough packing bubbles and stuff like that. At the end, I had to initial it basically saying I did it right so if I didn’t it was on me.

SYF: What is something you will take away from this experience?

Adair-Averitte: I’m a hard worker, but used to working by myself. Since I had never done this before or worked in this type of place, I needed to ask for help and understand that I didn’t know everything. That was hard, but I think it helped me learn that lesson.

SYF: What are your plans for the future?

Adair-Averitte: I want to work here. It seemed like it was a good job and something I can move around in so I don’t get bored. I want the chance to move up and eventually work in the office. I’ve got goals to be a manager or something like that. I think I can do it.”

Stories like these are why SYF is important. It gives youth at risk of dropping out a second chance and the hope they can achieve anything they want. It’s the goal of becoming a CVS Warehouse Manager like Lisa that lends credibility to the notion that youth start here to go anywhere. Congratulations to Lisa and all the graduates of the CVS Caremark Pathways program.

Meet CVS Pathways to Logistics Graduate Patrick Casteel

Simon Youth Foundation and CVS Caremark partnered for the Pathways to Logistics program to offer internships for selected Simon Youth Academy students. This opportunity exposed students to careers in logistics and helped broaden students’ educational, personal and professional development. Patrick Casteel is one of the graduates who completed the program and this is his story.

SYF: Tell us a little about your background and how you came to the Simon Youth Pacers Academy.

Casteel: I came to the academy after falling behind in my classes. It provided me a chance to get what I needed done and do it at my pace. I like school now and am moving on to college. I’ve already been accepted to ITT Tech for Engineering.

SYF: What did you do during the internship?

Casteel: I got to learn about the basics of packing a box which seems simple, but there’s a lot of reasons why they do it a certain way. Laws, regulations, getting it out on time, making it easy to get it to the next person – everything affects the next thing. We also did other stuff, but that part caught my attention.

SYF: What is something you will take away from this experience?

Casteel: This was my first real job. I was shaking doing the interview, but they calmed me down so I could show them I could do it. I’ll definitely be ready for my next interview thanks to the program.

SYF: What are your plans for the future?

Casteel: I want to be an entrepreneur and start my own business. It will likely be with my degree in Electrical Engineering or something like that. This internship and my academy work has given me confidence to do it.

Stories like these are why SYF is important. It gives youth at risk of dropping out a second chance and the hope they can achieve anything they want. It’s the goal of becoming an entrepreneur like Patrick that lends credibility to the notion that youth start here to go anywhere. Congratulations to Patrick and all the graduates of the CVS Caremark Pathways program.

From Obstacle to Reward

From left to right: Patrick Casteel, Miquel Davis,
Melanie McKinley Miller, Lisa Michel Adair-Averitte

Four individuals, each with different circumstances, came to the Simon Youth Pacers Academy at Washington Square for the purpose of graduating high school. While doing their studies they were offered an opportunity to participate in an internship with CVS Caremark called the Pathways to Logistics in Indianapolis, Indiana. This unique partnership gives deserving students an opportunity to get real work experience so they can get on track towards a successful career.

These youth went through a formal application and interview process. Patrick Casteel said this was one of the most helpful parts for him. He feels this preparation will serve him well in the future.

“This was my first real job,” Casteel said. “I was shaking doing the interview, but they calmed me down so I could show them I could do it. I’ll definitely be ready for my next interview thanks to the program.”

Outside of practical work-related skills, Lisa Michell Adair-Averitte said the most educational experience was the interactions with co-workers.

“I’m a hard worker, but used to working by myself,” said Adair-Averitte. “Since I had never done this before or worked in this type of place, I needed to ask for help and understand that I didn’t know everything. That was hard, but I think it helped me learn that lesson.”

Miquel Davis didn’t know what to expect when walking through the doors the first day. She was both nervous and excited at the opportunity to work. She now believes the sky’s the limit.

“I liked everything I did here,” said Davis. “It wasn’t easy but I think I can do anything now because I learned how to deal with people better. I think I could work in the warehouse for a while and move into a manager role - that’s not something I thought about before.”

Start Here. Go Anywhere. is not just a tagline, it’s a window of opportunity Melanie McKinley Miller now believes in with this internship.

“I’d like to have a job here to get me started, but down the road I’d like to do something with art and fashion,” said Miller. “I really like interior design or start a company like that. This experience helped think I could do it.”

Along with a certificate of completion, each student receives a $1,000 stipend. Learn more about each of these students as we dive deeper into their experience over the next several days.

It's a New Year

It’s a new year with all the desires to make this the one in which you make changes in life that will positively affect you. A few days removed from the start of 2013, have you stuck with the resolutions you’ve made? Did you make any? Many people list ‘lose weight,’ ‘join a gym’ or ‘quit a bad habit.’ What about learning? Education is not your typical resolution. Being a lifelong learner can be an invaluable asset as you go about your personal and professional life. The more you know and know how to do, the better chance you can be successful in any endeavor - even losing weight.

Industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie once said, "If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes."

The challenge we face today is too many youth don’t have the opportunity to even begin this process. Receiving a quality education is not always at the top of the list for the youth we work with until they are told about the Simon Youth Academy. Many factors get in the way like family obligations, unexpected life circumstances or even bullying.

SYF wants to help lead this charge and ignite hope around the country. Sparking that fire within starts with you and extends through this Foundation. Without continued support of our academies and scholarships, these at-risk youth might not have the courage to even try.

We tell students if they start here they can go anywhere. Carrying a high school diploma opens doors and windows of opportunity. Aside from that, they are learning the importance of continuing education beyond the classroom. Whether they decide to enter the work force, technical college, junior college or university, they now have that option.

SYF has a number of milestones it is celebrating in 2013 - 15-year anniversary, 10,000 graduates and providing more than $10 million in scholarships. SYF is one solution to the high school dropout problem, but we can’t do it alone. We need your help to raise awareness about who we are and why we do it. We resolve to expand the number of at-risk youth we impact. Join us – we have 362 days left!