- September 29, 2020
- Kimley-Horn Corner
Kimley-Horn and Dallas Nonprofit Help Underserved Students Explore Career Opportunities
Kimley-Horn’s continued commitment to helping people flourish inspired its Dallas office to partner with ScholarShot, a nonprofit organization that helps at-risk students exit poverty by completing career-ready vocational, associate, or bachelor degrees.
What Does ScholarShot Do?
When ScholarShot learned that 90 percent of at-risk students in Texas will drop out of college, they made it their mission to maximize students’ success in higher education. College students enrolled in the program receive financial support, are assigned a full-time academic manager, and work with a mentor for the entirety of their college careers.
Kimley-Horn Gets Involved
After hearing about ScholarShot through a local partner, Jose Correa and Rebecca Johnson reached out to involve Kimley-Horn’s Dallas office. The team hosted a virtual “Corporate Day” event with ScholarShot students, giving them a sense of potential career opportunities to pursue after graduation. Heather Lacy, ScholarShot’s Academic Manager, says, “Career panels are an effective way to expose students to professionals working in industries they may find interesting. Some ScholarShot students are first-generation and they might not know what to expect in a professional setting. Through these panels, they realize that professionals are people just like them.”
Inspiring Future Leaders
ScholarShot students attending the panel learned about the various roles and opportunities Kimley-Horn has to offer and received advice on goal setting, time management, and resumé building.
Jesús Ipina, a Civil Engineering major at Texas A&M University said he was motivated to sign up for the event to meet engineers and better understand what their jobs are like. He said it was a good experience and he learned a lot from the engineers on the panel.
“One of the engineers said he started with Kimley-Horn as an intern and eventually got a job there. I was able to see myself in his shoes and know I can also do it.”
Since the event, Kimley-Horn has continued conversations with participants majoring in civil engineering-related fields. As a separate commitment, Kimley-Horn employees also serve as formal personal mentors to other students in the ScholarShot program.