The modest basement room at Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC) was packed with young people, some there to celebrate their accomplishments and some to congratulate their peers. The mothers who sat in the corner beamed with pride while they took photos on their phones of the ceremony.

After 12 weeks, this group of young adults, ages 17 to 24, was graduating from MMCC’s Intern and Earn, a program funded by the city Department of Youth and Community Development.

Among the crowd was Peyton Wendell. After attending Mount Saint Michael Academy in Wakefield, Wendell was unsure if enrolling in college was what he wanted to do. During his time with Intern and Earn, Wendell worked for Biscuits and Bath Doggie Spa.

MMCC initiated the Intern and Earn program approximately six years ago, and benefits 135 young adults per year, completing three rounds of the program. Their goal is to assist young people who are not enrolled in school and unemployed to gain the skills they need to obtain a suitable job.

At the end of his internship, Wendell walked away with a job, something he wasn’t sure he could get at the start of the program.

“I like to think that I changed coming here, because before I didn’t really have a good work ethic,” Peyton Wendell told his peers as he stood at the front of the room, sharing his experience at the graduation on Oct. 26.

According to the state Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in the Bronx was 6.1 percent in July of 2018, while the city as a whole was 4.4 percent. With Bronx unemployment rates higher than the city average, Intern and Earn stresses the necessity of job readiness.

“I’m pretty sure some of you didn’t think you’d make it this far,” said Tyais Cunningham, MMCC’s program director, to kick off the ceremony. The graduating class shook their heads in agreement. They were shocked that over such a seemingly short period of time, they were taught crucial lessons while being paid. Some were completing the program with jobs, interviews for potential jobs, or the knowledge and experience they needed to look for jobs.

The first two weeks of Intern and Earn are focused on job readiness. Participants are instructed on how to dress professionally, how to conduct oneself in an interview, and other general information about the working world. For the remainder of the program, they are placed into paid internships.

“You have to be disciplined. You have to be determined,” MMCC’s director of workforce development and continuing education, Liza Perez, reminded the group during their graduation ceremony.

Even after completing their internships, the participants will be provided with ongoing job placement assistance, opportunities for additional training programs, college advisement, and emotional support by MMCC staffers.

Shemar Dallas, a young man graduating from the program, worked with computers at SUNY Bronx Educational Opportunity Center. “I got certified as a Microsoft specialist for free,” Dallas told the Norwood News. While he plans to go into the U.S. Air Force, Dallas appreciated the skills he learned during his internship, and seemed proud of his accomplishment.

“He’s more outgoing,” explained Allison Wendell about her son, Peyton Wendell. “Now, he’s like a pro.”

“This program is good or everybody in the Bronx,” said Denise West, mother of program graduate, Lanaija Hill. “My daughter enjoyed it so much.”

Missy Murrell-Williams, who’s thrilled  Intern and Earn is helping her find a job, explained that the program does more than job readiness. “They teach you about life. They teach you how to be yourself,” she said.