The Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Foundation Awards LaGuardia Community College Two-Year Grant for Elmezzi Career Fellows Program

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (July 18, 2024) — LaGuardia Community College/CUNY was recently awarded a two-year grant of $465,509 by the Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Private Foundation. The grant supports the Elmezzi Career Fellows Program to help prepare students for the evolving job market.

Since 2020, LaGuardia has developed the curriculum of the Elmezzi Career Fellows Program to stay responsive to labor market trends and to prepare our students with skills to meet current demands in their fields. Through the program the student fellows participate in three professional development sessions during the semester of their internship, including at least one service-learning activity in the practice of civic engagement and two monthly advisement meetings with the program coordinator/advisor. The topics covered in professional development include financial planning, teamwork, communication, leadership, industry-specific trends, professional ethics, conflict resolution, and public speaking.

“The Elmezzi Career Fellows Program will ensure that first-generation college students will have wider exposure to professional opportunities as part of their higher education experience,” said Pooja Joshi, Executive Director of the Elmezzi Foundation. “We are delighted to deepen our partnership with LaGuardia Community College which meets our vision for a vibrant community with a thriving workforce.”

“Elmezzi Career Fellows gain valuable experience that increases their ability to enter careers with higher earning and advancement potential through skill development, networking opportunities, resume building, industry insights, job opportunities, salary potential, and professional development,” said Dr. Jessica Perez, Director of the Center for Career and Professional Development.

For the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 academic years, LaGuardia will invite a new cohort of 35 to 45 students who are enrolled at LaGuardia in the Fall and Spring semesters and add an additional cohort of 10 students during the Spring II semesters in 2025 and 2026. Eligible students must live in Queens County and must be in their first semester at the college. The program will prepare students for internship experiences through workshops, online training, career exploration, academic support, and mentorship. After completing their training, students are placed into a matching system that pairs employer needs with capable students with aligned career interests.

Elmezzi Career Fellows will participate in training sessions and receive exceptional support and opportunities before matching and after completing their internship placement.

“The unique opportunities and support for the cohort will focus on stackable skill- building workshops and micro-credentials recognized and sought out by employers,” Perez said. “The professional development topics will include conflict in the workplace, time management, giving and receiving feedback, verbal and non-verbal communication, networking strategies, and resume writing. Fellows will also gain knowledge of various professional roles they can use to home in on their desired field.”

Elmezzi Career Fellows will work 12 weeks at 10 hours a week during Fall Session I and II and Spring Session I and II. After completing their semester-long internship, successful fellows will be placed in the CUNY Career Launch program, a 6-week paid summer internship program or SOAR Experiential Learning Program.

Between their academic year and summer internship experiences, Elmezzi Career Fellows will work over 200 hours in one year and gain vast professional workplace experience at companies or organizations in their chosen career field and earn $16.50 an hour for a semester-long 12-week internship for a total of 120 hours (the hourly wage will increase to $17 in Spring 2026).

Past employer partners have included: Priority Cares, United Jewish Council of the East Side, V-Elms, Richard Rosario Photography, Astoria Films, DNDI, Bardone, Juniper Industries, Former Eye Care Center, Beverly Home Care, and Chinese Methodist Center Corporation.

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The Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Foundation: The mission of the Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Private Foundation is to encourage and support programs that directly provide assistance to individuals who — due to either environment or circumstance — have not had the opportunity or ability to live independent and productive lives. Such challenges may be physical, medical, economic or educational. We strive to have a direct and measurable impact on the quality of individual lives, either through sponsorship or innovative program design and development. For more information, please visit elmezzi.org.

LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.

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