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SALEM, MASS. – LEAP For Education’s paid Summer Work Program will wrap up with a gallery walk on ����ֱ��’s South Campus Thursday, with attendance expected from Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll.

The Summer Work Program is a six-week, four-days-a-week career mentorship program connecting Lynn and Salem teens with career mentors on a 1:1 basis. The projects they work on while exploring career paths are each unique, including designs, business plans, art pieces, career exploration studies, and more. The program will conclude with a presentation of projects in the Harrington building, 11 Harrison Road, tomorrow from 10:30 am to noon.

“For many of our younger students, they’re just starting to dip their toes into thinking about what they want to do after high school,” said Linda Saris, executive director of LEAP for Education. “This is what we call a ‘learn and earn’ program. It allows students to engage in an academic program and learn about careers, but also get paid for it so they don’t have to make a choice between working a typical teen summer job and going to an academic program. Students only get paid for hours attended, and only if they complete their project.”

A total of 100 area teens-50 from Lynn, 50 from Salem, ranging from rising 9th graders to graduated 12th graders-will display projects they’ve completed with the support of a career mentor and LEAP staff. It ran in partnership with ����ֱ��, which provided the facility at no cost, and MassHire, which provided a portion of student salaries. The Lynn and Salem Public Schools districts are also celebrated partners for their recruiting efforts.

Students also benefited from LEAP’s local speaker series, with 20 speakers from different career paths who spoke with students about their journeys and careers. Speakers included: District Attorney Paul Tucker; Samantha Parker, system administrator at Harvard Business School; Lydia Smyers, vice president of Northeast US markets for Microsoft, to talk about artificial intelligence; and Joe St. Pierre, project manager for Crowley Wind, developer of the Salem Offshore Wind Terminal.

Through the program, students “are able to gain valuable experiences about possible career and educational pathways,” Saris said. “By working with a mentor and going to the local speaker series, they’re making local connections, able to make some money, and for many it’ll either validate a career interest or help them eliminate one.”

About LEAP For Education

LEAP for Education’s mission is to empower underserved youth to achieve economic and social mobility by cultivating educational, career and personal growth. LEAP for Education serves over 550 underserved youth, grades 6-16 in Lynn, Salem and Peabody. Each year, LEAP is able to meet the unique needs of its students with a dedicated permanent staff of 26 employees, 70 school teachers and community educators, 18 community partners, 165 volunteers, 8 Business Partners and 8 school partners. LEAP is located at 35 Congress Street, Suite 102 (Shetland Park). To contact LEAP, call 978-740-6667.

About ����ֱ��

Known as the Commonwealth’s civic engagement university, ����ֱ��, established in 1854, is a comprehensive, public institution of higher learning located approximately 15 miles north of Boston, Massachusetts. One of the largest state universities in the Commonwealth, Salem State enrolls about 6,500 undergraduate and graduate students. It offers 32 undergraduate programs and graduate programs that offer degrees in 24 fields. The university also has a continuing education division that offers both credit and non-credit programs. Salem State proudly participates in the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement and has shown a student voting rate above the national average, earning it a Silver Seal from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. In 2020, Salem State received Carnegie Community Engagement Classification and was designated a Best for Vets College by Military Times. Salem State is proud to be an emerging Hispanic and Minority Serving Institution.