Search Influence Partners with YouthForce NOLA for Second Summer

July 19th, 2016 by Cory Agular

For the second summer, Search Influence has partnered with New Orleans-based YouthForce NOLA, a career readiness organization developed by “Educate Now!” that helps match students with local businesses in order to offer real world work experience. According to their website, the organization aims to create “training pathways that prepare students for high-wage, high-demand careers and rigorous post-secondary options.” As part of Search Influence’s commitment to the program, we have welcomed three interns to our team this summer, DaJuan Breaux, Kerriyelle Maxwell-Knight, and Tyriell Poche.

YouthForce Interns

“Search Influence has had a long standing relationship with Educate Now!, one of the founding partners of YouthForce NOLA”, said Search Influence COO and Co-Founder Angie Scott. “Ingrained in the culture of Search Influence is giving back to the New Orleans community.”

What They Do and What They’ve Learned

In June, DaJuan, Kerriyelle, and Tyriell joined the Production Team and immediately started assisting with Social Media Management along with other projects. All three shared some thoughts about working at our tech company and what they have learned thus far about the company culture at Search Influence.

“I love it because my whole life I was involved in tech,” said DaJuan. He cited how much he uses technology and social media in his daily life and that it’s a great opportunity to utilize it professionally. “I also like it because I know I have something to put on my resume.”

When asked what drew her to YouthForce NOLA, Tyriell shared, “I just wanted to get my experience in the job world.” She also expressed how she’s learned more about working with other people and how communication in group work is essential. “It will benefit me in the long run because I want to run my own daycare [one day].”

Kerriyelle echoed that sentiment, “I have learned it’s okay to be open and communicate with other people—if you ask questions, the work that seems hard isn’t so hard [anymore].” She is also enjoying the work environment. “I like how comfortable it is. I see you can be yourself [here].”

A YouthForce NOLA Success Story

Current employee, Jason Plain is evidence of YouthForce NOLA’s success. Jason started working at Search Influence in the summer of 2015 as an intern through the YouthForce NOLA program. His hard work and dedication secured him a position as a part-time employee on the Production Team.

Instagram photo

Thus far, the partnership between YouthForce NOLA and Search Influence has proven to be beneficial not just for the interns but for the company as well. It has been a great way to reach out to the New Orleans community and help them get a glimpse into a career in the tech industry.

“Each individual given the opportunity to work with us has been hungry for more education in online marketing,” Angie explained, “and we are excited to give it to them.”

Instagram Photo Credit