LaunchGVL celebrates student interns, awards scholarships
May 18, 2022
Greenville Chamber, Greenville County Schools Partner to Honor LaunchGVL Participants and Present Scholarships
LaunchGVL hosted a celebration event on Tuesday, May 17 honoring 2021/2022 student interns and their employers. During the celebration, five students were awarded $1,000 scholarships.
LaunchGVL is a partnership between the Greenville Chamber and Greenville County Schools to provide paid internship opportunities to Greenville County Schools students in high-demand occupations. During the 2021/2022 schoolyear, 99 students were employed by 37 different companies, setting a program record for student engagement.
“Access to talent and workforce continues to be a top concern for area employers and the LaunchGVL initiative plays a key role in directly addressing this issue,” said Carlos Phillips, Greenville Chamber President/CEO. “Thank you to the many community partners who help to make this life-changing program available.”
Power:Ed, a philanthropy of SC Student Loan, provided funding to present five $1,000 scholarships during the ceremony. Power:Ed is dedicated to creating opportunities for South Carolina’s youth by supporting low-income, minority, and first-generation students; improving access to college and degree completion; and creating pathways to quality workforce opportunities. A live drawing was held during the program, with any LaunchGVL student present at the event eligible. Scholarships were presented to the following students:
Olivia Bonilla
Sebastian Castrejon-Roman
Rylie DeWeese
Carter Lumm
Jillian Talbot
“I couldn’t be more proud of the accomplishments of these students. Their success is proof that when schools, employers and the community partner to create paid work opportunities for young people, everyone benefits. It’s one of the reasons student participation in work-based learning programs has skyrocketed in recent years,” said Dr. Burke Royster, Superintendent of Greenville County Schools.
Bank of America has served as a key funding partner of LaunchGVL since 2019. Stacy Brandon, Upstate SC President, shared remarks during the program, highlighting the bank’s commitment to youth employment opportunities.
“We recognize the importance of creating pathways to success for our future workforce,” said Brandon. “Bank of America’s investment in LaunchGVL supports participants in developing the skills necessary to thrive in careers and helps to build our local pipeline of talent.”
Bank of America has donated $75,000 in support of LaunchGVL programming, enabling more students and organizations to participate.
LaunchGVL is entering its fourth year. Since inception, 239 students and 110 companies have participated in LaunchGVL’s work-based learning opportunities. The program helps to actively shrink skills gaps in the Upstate and strengthen the workforce by preparing students and filling the talent pipeline. Learn more at launchgvl.org.
