Kevin wants to be a lawyer—a dream not unlike countless other high school students.
However, Kevin has a much more daunting hill to climb than most young people in Collier County. While Naples is home to one of the wealthiest zip codes in the country, Kevin lives 35 miles away in underserved Immokalee, where the concept of a college education and career fulfillment remains a mere dream for so many.
Immokalee’s families suffer from intergenerational poverty and very low educational attainment. The community’s per capita income is $17,927, ranking it 477th out of 485 communities in Florida.
Kevin’s reason for this career goal? “I want to practice law in the hopes of helping others and making sure people are treated fairly under the law with proper legal representation.”
For 33 years, The Immokalee Foundation has been preparing the next generation of leaders. Today, through its award-winning Career Pathways program, the Foundation focuses on education, career readiness, and professional development for students in Immokalee. You could say that the Foundation wants people to be treated fairly regarding access to education and stability.
Kevin is one of the lucky ones—he has The Immokalee Foundation in his corner. He is one of over 1,300 students—from kindergarten through postsecondary education—who will benefit from the Foundation’s life-changing services this year alone.
Through its award-winning Career Pathways program, The Immokalee Foundation provides new pathways to success by providing robust programming that prepares students for well-paying, in-demand professional careers in four specific pathways: Business Management & Entrepreneurship, Education & Human Services, Engineering & Construction Management, and Healthcare.
The curriculum includes career panels, field trips, workshops, educational summer camps, career interest and aptitude assessments, and more. Plus, more than 100 community members graciously volunteer their time each year to mentor our motivated students.
Future attorney Kevin participates in the Foundation’s Education & Human Services Pathway.
Of all the professional development activities offered, enough cannot be said about the benefits of The Immokalee Foundation sponsored hands-on experiences. For the past two years, Legal Aid Service of Collier County has graciously hosted Education & Human Services Pathway students as paid summer interns. Kevin joined them this past summer.
“Kevin provided invaluable support to our staff and clients who are members of their own community,” said Legal Aid staff attorney Elisa Huapilla-Miron. “This perfectly embodies the Immokalee spirit of community members helping each other. Our town needs attorneys who can provide high-quality legal representation, so perhaps one day, our interns will be the attorneys who return to Immokalee to provide legal services in our community.”
“I enjoyed attending court proceedings and joining various client meetings with legal professionals,” Kevin said. “I was most impressed with the Legal Aid attorneys’ determination and caring for their clients. They want what’s best for them and put in lots of work to make it happen.”
As for how this experience will impact his future, Kevin is equally enthusiastic. “I feel amazing and honored to put such a wonderful experience on my resume. The Legal Aid staff was so grateful for my assistance and work during my internship. I want to thank The Immokalee Foundation and the Legal Aid Service of Collier County for this rare job opportunity.”
A rare opportunity for an even more exceptional young man.
If you or someone you know would like to host an Immokalee Foundation intern in any of the four pathways— Business Management & Entrepreneurship, Education & Human Services, Engineering & Construction Management, and Healthcare—please get in touch with Wendy Gallegos at (239) 657-2461 or wendy.gallegos@immokaleefoundtion.org
