Kollab Youth

I got to know Kollab Youth 2 years ago and was from the beginning amazed how professional they work. Specially if you take into account that it was founded just a few years ago. They way they leverage state of the art technology to bring the maximum benefit for the youth in LA.
When I heart about their mentorship program, I directly offered my help and joined as a mentor. I have been now around 6 times a mentor and I am fascinated by the mentees. Not only are they quite mature for their age but even more important they are eager to learn, prepare themselves for each session and really leverage the mentor program for their future. I have seen quite some nonprofits in this space but I have not seen any nonprofit that works as professional and makes such an impact as Kollab Youth. Last but not least you also learn from the youth, understanding their perspective, their thinking, priorities, ... that helps us also to understand the next generation better for ourselves.

I absolutely love Kollab Youth! So far, it helped me gain confidence in my voice. Recently I was able to be an Ambassador and speak in front of my past school! I also enjoy how every member in Kollab Youth, treat us as growing adults and not as children. They have so many opportunities, and I was able to take advantage of some. Like the Teen Leadership Council (TLC) and the Career Coaching Clinic (CCC) which helped me develop my public speaking skills, Leadership skills, Communication skills and much more. I'm very grateful to be in the Program.

Kollab Youth is awesome! It gives young people, especially those from marginalized communities, a chance to learn new skills, get real-world experience, and connect with mentors who really care. Participants get to work on cool projects, meet amazing people, and set themselves up for future success. It's an excellent way for them to explore their passion and build a solid foundation for their careers. By providing access to resources and opportunities they might not otherwise have, Kollab Youth empowers these young individuals to reach their full potential and positively impact their communities.

I found Kollab Youth through a flyer sent to my school email. At first, I was debating whether to sign up for their winter cohort or not, not knowing it would open many doors for me. It had been a while since I had attended classes through zoom, but little did I know these sessions were more than classes. They were opportunities for my personal growth, helped me step out of my comfort zone, and meet new people and their valuable input. My mentorship experience has been amazing. Focusing on small to bigger, but achievable goals, I was able to network with my peers, prepare for an interview, build my resume, and much more. Being a part of Kollab has been and still is an honor. I love that this organization is focusing on youth and educating and providing them with skills, knowledge, and opportunities for their lifelong personal wellness and success.

I initially joined the Kollab Youth Workforce Development Program in January 2023 for their Winter Cohort. Before joining, I was skeptical of the program because it was "too good to be true." However, I decided to follow through with it, and I am glad I did because it was truly life-changing. I was in the program mid-way through my senior year of high school, and I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the tech industry, I just wanted to narrow down a specific job title. I originally intended to join to explore some IT jobs, potentially gain funding for certifications, and be mentored but SOO much more happened! First off, their mentorship program was extremely effective, I was able to speak with people in the IT industry, ask them about their journeys toward their careers, and receive advice. In addition to that, I was able to build my resume and LinkedIn from scratch with the help of my first mentor, Daniel Rosenberg. It is so lucky that I had the chance to be mentored through this process because to be completely honest, before this, I was completely clueless! However, the pillar of this program, that I felt impacted me the most was the teen leadership council. One day after one of their career exploration panels, I was contacted about joining the leadership council because I had volunteered, however, I had never recalled volunteering. I was planning to immediately reject the invite at first, but I realized that this was an opportunity for me to break out of my shell and develop my soft skills. After joining their leadership council, I had the chance to provide feedback about the program and see its impact as the program slowly grew. My feedback was actually being implemented rather than ignored, and it felt great that my voice was being "heard"! As these weekly meetings continued, I was able to build close-knit connections with the program's advisors (Mary, Lance, and Sari). They were able to "light the way" for me as I shifted slowly into my college and career journey through their continuous and enthusiastic guidance. The leadership council also opened many opportunities for me to network and build my soft skills, one of the most notable ones was being able to act as a Youth Leader, and introduce and thank weekly panelists in their amazing masterclasses! All of this happened in the span of only one cohort (~3 months), and after that was finished, I came back thirsty for more in their Spring cohort. Although it was shorter, I had newly acquired soft skills that encouraged me to tackle even more opportunities. I began the cohort by attending an ABC 7 focus group event, where I was able to verbalize the most popular issues teens faced at the moment. It was at this event that I noticed that I was a lot more confident and willing to speak out in a group. I hadn't realized it, but my social skills throughout the school year had been growing and reaching new heights, and it was all thanks to Kollab Youth. The second time around, I had another mentor, named Andreas Frischhut, who worked at Cisco. Since he was more aligned with the specific industry I was interested in, I asked him tons of questions about his career journey, and he gave me active advice on how to refine my resume and seek out job positions. Later into the final months of the cohort, a survey was given out to students who were seeking jobs. While I didn't fill out the one issued by the previous cohort, I finally decided to because I had recently gotten a car and was able to commute to any job if I got one. Just a few days after filling that out, the advisors of the program referred me to Metal Toad, an AWS consulting partner company, and set me up for an interview. This was my first interview, so I was extremely nervous and sought ways to prepare for it. I consulted YouTube videos and formulated answers. However, this wasn't enough, so I began doing mock interviews with my mentor, Andreas, and the program's advisors, Lance, Mary, and Sari. They gave me honest constructive criticism of my answers, and I continuously improved on them and felt extremely prepared by the end of their "interview boot camp," as I would describe it. The first behavioral interview at Metal Toad, with an HR coordinator, went amazing due to how prepared I was, and I moved on to a second stage with the VP of engineering. I was extremely stressed during this period of time because the wait for interview results, finals, and senior checkout began piling up on me. Despite that, I kept pushing through and was given words of encouragement and more assistance for the interview. The second interview lasted ONLY 30 minutes, even though it was scheduled for an hour. By this time, I thought it was over, but everyone in the KY program told me to keep my head up, and a week later, I received a paid software engineering internship offer for the Summer of 2023 by the time I graduated high school. I have been at Metal Toad for about two and 1/2 months now, and I have learned TONS of new things, and realized the importance of the soft skills I built during the Kollab Youth program in daily collaborative meetings! Through the Kollab Youth Workforce Development Program, I had the chance to start my career journey from scratch and obtain an internship before beginning college at Cal Poly Pomona for Computer Science! It truly is, "more than a program, it's a journey of opportunities." Now, I am looking forward to the journey of college, and actively taking any career opportunities that arise in front of me. Kollab Youth has truly changed my life, and I am confident that it will change many others in the future!

The first time I joined Kollab was in 2020. At that time, I was a freshman in high school. Kollab helped me a lot because it allowed me to gain soft skills such as leadership and organization skills that helped me excel in high school. I got out of my shell and participated in student leadership at my high school because of Kollab. I also did Kollab Spring 2023 and am currently doing Summer 2023 because I want to grow and develop soft skills. Kollab has helped me grow as a person, but it has also shown me careers in life that I never thought were possible. I am now going into my first year of college at USC, and I strongly believe that Kollab Youth helped me reach my goals and become the person I am today.

Volunteering with Kollab has opened my eyes to a lot of things. Working directly with such motivated young people through mentorship inspires me to keep a positive attitude and to continue giving back. Mary and Sari are devoted and selfless. Look forward to more experiences in the future.

I’ve been a member of Kollab over a year now and I am incredibly grateful for the staff who dedicate this program to helping teens like me. The staff is so genuine they want to see us succeed and they truly care for you and your passions despite it being something uncommon they are open and see success comes in many shapes and forms. I never receive or am able to receive this support elsewhere so I am grateful for Kollab. With their zoom meetings and website I was able to locate the type of career I wanted in specific they made me realize what I had wanted to do was an option. They also teach us valuable skills and provide great insight to help us become and grow as a person helping us prepare to be an adult. So thankful for this program!!

Kollab Youth is not your typical youth program. It is an intense catalyst which has sparked the imagination of hundreds of youth by combining mentorship, guided curiosity through mini-masterclasses taught by subject matter experts, and fun online knowledge checks and personal inventories that help young people understand their strengths and areas of potential growth. Kollab Youth also provides young people with a community that cares about them now and in the future. It has been a gift to see how Kollab Youth has helped young people transform into confident and hopeful young adults despite the harsh realities that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. Kollab Youth thrive!

I’ve joined Kollab Youth for a Summer Cohort, this year looking for ways to expand my knowledge of careers of my interest. Even though, this is my first time being part of Kollab Youth, I’ve learned so much just by going on trips and attending classes. Not only does it give you insight on other careers but also great advice. They provide teens with opportunities, that are great ways to expand their passion. Kollab is a great program to spend free time learning, for others teens just like me who are looking for ways to learn about what’s next in their careers.

Kollab youth continue to shine, demonstrating commitment, dedication, self-drive, confidence, and integrity. No question, Kollab Youth provides the structure, support, guidance, and systems for teens to grow, personally and professionally. Providing opportunities to network, explore the vast landscape of professions, education options, all led by generous mentors and community leaders, industry experts, and alumni. Kollab is, by far, the Gold Standard for youth development, and continues to provide measurable results, setting the stage for our future leaders...and the future looks bright with Kollab cohorts. The best is yet to come!