Year Up Gives Youths a Leg Up in the Corporate World

The small waiting room in the midtown obstetrician’s office was packed with half a dozen women anxiously waiting to see their doctor. The number of staff members behind the reception desk almost mirrored the number of patients they were there to help.

The frequent ringing of the telephone broke up the buzzing hum in the busy office.

In the center of this organized chaos was Jade Cooper, the office supervisor employed to maintain order in one of the busiest OB/GYN offices in Manhattan.

Even in this stressful environment, the 26-year-old Bed-Stuy resident wears a beaming smile and an undeniable air of confidence.

But this mother of a 7-year-old boy, with another girl on the way, says she was not always this fulfilled. She credits Year Up, a job development program for disadvantaged young adults, as the source of her personal and professional success.

“They put it in my mind that I am good enough,” said Cooper. “Just because you’re from Bed-Stuy doesn’t mean you can’t be a CEO or a manager.”

Cooper is one of Year Up’s many success stories. Since its founding in 2000, more than 3,500 students across nine cities have benefited from Year Up’s training program. The program, which is free to qualified students, caters to 18-24 year olds.

The curriculum is divided into two six-month units where students engage in classroom learning in the first half of the year and internships in the second half.  Classes equip students with technology, business and communications skills used in the corporate world. The goal is to bridge the financial disparity that puts low-income youths at a further disadvantage.

“Even a year of college after high school makes a lifetime of financial difference,” said Charmaine Peart-HoSang, Year Up’s Director of Outreach and Student Services.

A 2009 report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that New York State ranks third in the number of 18-24 year olds who are not employed or in school. About 13,000 young people in New York City fall into this predicament.

Founder Gerald Chertavian wanted to combat this statistic. He was inspired to start Year Up during his tenure as a Big Brother to low-income youths. Chertavian was impressed by the youth's talent, but noted that there was a lack of opportunities for them to engage with the professional world.  He left his job as a Wall Street banker and started Year Up in October of 2000. The first campus was in Boston, Mass.

Newer campuses, like the one in Seattle, start with 25 students. Older locations have up to 150 students.  More than 600 students have graduated from the New York City campus, located in the Financial District, since it opened in 2006.  About 30 percent of those students are from Brooklyn and communities like Bed-Stuy.

“Most of the students come from the same background as me in terms of education and we would go to school and not feel like the teachers really cared,” said Cooper. "You build up walls when you come from certain parts of this city and you’re always on the defense.”

She said Year Up helped her shed those walls and gave her a renewed desire to learn.

Cooper was a dean’s assistant at a high school making $27,000 a year before she enrolled in Year Up in 2007. Prompted by her mother’s advice to apply for Year Up, she started school in September that year and graduated at the top of her class.  She worked at a financial company for a year before she applied for an opening at St. Luke’s Roosevelt OB/GYN department, where she is now employed. She makes over $40,000 a year as an office supervisor managing a staff of 13.

Her schooling wasn’t limited to classroom time, said Cooper. She met entrepreneurs, politicians and celebrities in events and galas arranged through the program. Her list of star sightings includes Senator Charles Schumer and supermodel Iman.

Year Up also helped with her with child care and provided her with a mentor who was employed as a high-ranking executive at Morgan Stanley.

Even though she’s had a tremendously positive experience with Year Up, Cooper says her only regret is that the program isn’t available to all New York City students.

“It’s sad that Year Up cannot be duplicated in New York City public schools,” she said. “There are so many other Jades out there that can benefit from this program.”