North Light Teen Interns at RDC

Shamika Fox is a rising high school senior at Parkway Center City in Philadelphia. It was through her proximity in the Manayunk area and the recruitment at her school that Shamika Fox heard about WorkReady Philadelphia. Shamika Fox is one of the 38 students working with North Light Community Center’s 2018 WorkReady Internship Program and she is the star student placed at Roxborough Development Corporation. She has been working at RDC for just a couple weeks now and she hit the ground running. Matthew Taylor, the Operations Director at RDC says, “Shamika is an impressive young woman who demonstrates maturity, communication skills, and a work ethic beyond her age.”

Shamika is 17 years old and is always looking for new ways to improve as an individual and as a member of a team. Shamika says, “I’ve learned a lot of core values and attributes working with RDC thus far such as sustainability, leadership, hospitality, adaptability, communication and a number of other interpersonal skills. Not only has she been learning through the mentorship of supervisor Matthew Taylor, but she has also learned a lot through hands-on experience. Shamika says she has learned that RDC is molding not just Roxborough, but Philadelphia into a better place for people to live. She also expresses that through this internship opportunity she has learned about how important it is to successfully construct a professional email, and most importantly, “I’ve learned the significance of networking and creating a brand for myself as I further my academic and professional career”.

Mentorship has clearly played a huge role in Shamika’s experience throughout this internship, and it does not end with Matthew Taylor. North Light Community Center’s Teen Programs office contributes to a lot of the development of an intern WorkReady experience. With mandatory Professional Development sessions every week teaching fundamental skills and professionalism, interns have no way to go but up! Nia Hunt, her Work Ready Specialist, says “Shamika is a beautiful girl with a beautiful spirit. Her smile will light up a room and her enthusiasm and demeanor will take her farther in life than she could ever imagine. I am so proud and honored to have worked with her this summer and I wish her the very best.”

Although the program is coming to an end, her reflection of the experience is right on time. Shamika says “Overall, what this program has taught me the most is about myself, and has opened my eyes to different job options. This program affirmed that no matter what, I will always manage to go above and beyond what is expected and continue to build a brand for myself.” After the internship is over, Shamika is going to continue employment at Five and Below, finish high school, and complete courses at Community College of Philadelphia in the fall.