In-Person Enrichment
With the summer of 2022 marking a robust return to in-person events, CDI counselors, staff, and Scholars took full advantage of opportunities to host and participate in numerous events designed to provide enrichment, instruction, and fun.
In May and July CDI was one of the featured organizations in the Mystics Mentoring Initiative, a program sponsored by the WNBA’s Washington Mystics to provide exposure, marketing, and community partnerships for outstanding local organizations that have exhibited industry best practices while serving a diverse population of young people in the D.C. Metropolitan Region.
CDI staff members introduced new audiences to our programming and mentorship opportunities while Scholars participated in a mentorship forum before watching the Mystics take on the Seattle Storm!
In June, we recognized Scholar graduates in the class of 2022 with a special Graduation and Game Day Celebration filled with music, games, and camaraderie!
“The day was a wonderfully successful opportunity to honor our Scholars and their families on their academic journey,” said CDI President and CEO Amma Felix. “It was also nice to see mentors, parents, and alumni present to see the Scholars bask in their hard-earned accomplishments! Celebrations such as these are so important as they represent our mission in action.”
In August, CDI’s Career Mentoring Initiative held the second Scholar Summit of 2022 at The Catholic University America in Washington, D.C. The event's theme was “Discover Your Power,” and it provided CDI Scholars the opportunity to learn from and interact with their peers and professionals across a wide range of industries and fields.
The Scholar Summits extend the work of the mentoring initiative by combining information around soft skills such as leadership and career management with practical concerns such as financial management, interviewing techniques, and more. Attendees of the August summit even received free, professional headshots!
Throughout the summer, Scholars participated in a series of career tours to various companies in the Washington, D.C. area, including Bonnie Zucker & Associates, Deloitte, Forrester Construction, Kaiser Permanente, United States Pharmacopeia, MENTOR Maryland DC, Montgomery County Police Department, Motorola Solutions, and NASA Goddard Flight Center.
The tours gave Scholars a unique chance to go behind the scenes in various workplaces to get insight from professionals as they begin plotting their career paths.
