Stories of Impact

By: Karimah Omer, Fellow, San Francisco Bay Area

When I first started my fellowship with GreenLight, I wasn’t certain what my “greenlight” meant – what makes me do what I do? Throughout my year-long journey with the Bay Area team, I developed my own greenlight and discovered new ways of how I want to impact my community … and the world. 

By Stacie Mills, Associate, San Francisco Bay Area

Apprehension over graduating college is not new–most students graduate with no work experience and begin navigating the complicated and frustrating job market with little to no guidance. Most students…but not Peony Yu. While most students struggled, Peony already knew what she wanted to do. She knew she wanted to begin her career by working with historically under-resourced communities. She had the work experience to support her goal and the knowledge of how to get there. So, what made all the difference for Peony?

Luis shares how he pursued his dreams of an education and professional career, and how Genesys Works has supported him on his journey.

An insatiable sense of curiosity has been part of Oakland native Peony Yu’s makeup since she was a very young girl.

Fast forward to Peony’s junior year of high school, that interest in trying and learning new things drove her to become one of the very first young professionals to complete Genesys Works Bay Area’s eight-week summer training intensive and year-long internship at Gensler during her senior year. Last August, Peony spoke with GreenLight about her experience as a Genesys Works intern. We recently checked in with Peony to see how her first year of college at UC-Irvine went and how she’s used Genesys Works new alumni tools to succeed through a rigorous academic year.