The Project Coordinator Fellowship (PCF) program works tirelessly to close the opportunity gap of low to moderate income Essex County young adults between the ages of 16-24.  The PCF program aims to enhance professional development and reduce youth unemployment for young people who live in and around Newark. Read on to hear the experience of one of the 150 fellows who benefit from the PCF program each year.

Kaltoum Elwazna is currently a senior at William Paterson University studying towards her bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Technology. When not attending classes, Kaltoum is a member of the National Honor Society and takes time to draw and make stickers!

Kaltoum at ASP Desk

Kaltoum spent her PCF internship with All Stars Project of New Jersey. All Stars Project (ASP) is a national nonprofit that uses a performance-based approach to help tens of thousands of inner-city youth and their families create success in their lives. ASP believes that afterschool is the best time to bring young people growing up in poor communities into the mainstream. They start to connect to opportunities, to the world of success, to the business community and all sorts of experiences that are far from where they come from, sparking their desire to learn and grow. When asked about her time at ASP, Kaltoum stated:

“While interning, I have learned about different software for collecting data. I have completed multiple projects for the Development School for Youth program (DSY) like collecting data from surveys and inputting all participants information into Smartsheets. I gained better organization skills and multitasking skills because now I get up to 3 projects to do every day and they all need to get done. This helps me with school projects and staying organized on all assignments.”

Not only has Kaltoum successfully graduated the PCF program, she also received a part-time position at ASP! When discussing her employment opportunities and future goals, Kaltoum remarked that:

“My current position at All Stars is the administrative assistant and I received this part-time position after the 3 months of diligently organizing data and inputting information the best that I could to help the All Stars Project stay more organized. After this position, I plan on being an app developer for a bigger company someday.”

PCF experiences such as Kaltoum’s could not be possible without the support and mentorship of individuals like you! If you’re interested in getting involved in the Project Coordinator Fellowship program, as either a fellow, sponsor, or leader, click here to learn more.