Students take Center Stage as CIS-Charlotte and Road to Hire Announce New Partnership
Two West Mecklenburg seniors took the podium, and their words carried the morning.
On September 24, the West Mecklenburg High School gymnasium filled with students, educators, board members, and community leaders to celebrate a new partnership between Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg (CIS-Charlotte) and Road to Hire, built to strengthen the path from classroom to career for young people across Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
The signatures on the agreement made the partnership official. The students in the room made it real.
"I did not know what I wanted to do with my life"
Joel Zarsah, a senior at West Mecklenburg and a member of CIS, TRIO, DifferenceMakers, and Road to Hire, opened the morning's testimonials with a reflection many students will recognize.
"Coming to high school, I did not know what I wanted to do with my life; joining these programs has helped shape me in the best way possible," Joel shared. "One of the experiences that stuck with me is the Summer U program. It helped me step out of my comfort zone, build up my confidence and ask for help when needed."
Joel talked about what changed his mind about CIS and TRIO once he joined as a sophomore. "I thought it was just another program in high school, but eventually I realized it was a place where people actually care, want the best for you and help you accomplish more in life."
"I never thought it would bring me here today"
Daisy Millard, also a senior at West Mecklenburg, followed with her own story, one that started with uncertainty and grew into something she didn't expect.
"When I first entered high school, I was terrified," Daisy said. "I thought that I had to rush and figure out everything, my career, what college I wanted to go to, what type of person I wanted to become."
Daisy first knew her CIS/TRIO counselor, Ms. Jeffries, only as her cheer coach. That relationship is what opened the door. "I didn't think signing those papers would bring me into rooms I never thought I'd be in," Daisy said. "I never thought it would bring me here today to talk about these experiences, visit colleges, and network with different people."
She credited Road to Hire's Summer U program with something deeper than the incentives that first caught her attention. "I met so many amazing people and learned so many new things about myself, like my personal brand, the colleges I'm interested in, the careers I want to do, and what it means to be in a community."
A Partnership Built Around a Simple Question
The press release announcing the partnership put it this way: graduation is a milestone, not a finish line. For over 40 years, CIS-Charlotte has surrounded students with support from kindergarten through graduation, with staff embedded in more than 40 CMS schools. Since 2014, Road to Hire has picked up that support as students move into college and the workforce, helping them build the skills, confidence, and connections to turn a diploma into a career.
The event made that continuum feel real. After Joel and Daisy shared their stories, students introduced CIS-Charlotte President and CEO Men Tchaas Ari and Road to Hire CEO Dr. Monique Perry-Graves, who gave remarks together before signing the partnership agreement. It was a signing-day moment complete with a t-shirt swap between the two organizations.
Board members, elected officials, school staff, and both CEOs don't often end up in the same room. On Thursday, they did, for a simple reason: two organizations that have separately supported the same students for years decided to make that support continuous.
Near the end of his remarks, Joel put it simply: "Sometimes all you need is someone to encourage you to take that first step."
For the students of West Mecklenburg High School, and for thousands of young people across Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, that next step just got clearer, and a lot more supported.
Learn more about the CIS-Charlotte and Road to Hire partnership here.