The IHDF-NY Work Is Success Internship Program (WISIP) places Dreamers in summer internships that are directly correlated with their college pursuits and career pathway. All Dreamers accepted to WISIP 2019 recently participated in the WISIP Bootcamp in order to ensure that every Dreamer is appropriately prepared for their internship. As part of the WISIP Bootcamp series, on May 31 we were graciously hosted by IHDF-NY Board Member Lianne Friedman, President of Elevecture.

Lianne Friedman serves as President and sole owner of Elevecture, LLC. Headquartered in New York City (NYC). Prior to leading Elevecture, Lianne served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the NYC Department of Education’s (DOE) Office of Adult and Continuing Education and has substantial experience and expertise in leading complex systems at the operational, strategic and policy levels. As COO, Lianne led the city-wide system that serves over 40,000 students in Adult Basic Education programs, including: ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages), GED/High School Equivalency, and Career and Technical Education.

Elevecture is the only company that creates custom panels utilizing Corning® Gorilla® Glass to provide design solutions for building interiors. Elevecture furthers its mission to solve common building design problems — such as weight and durability — by laminating thin, lightweight, damage-resistant, clear Gorilla® Glass to wood veneers, delicate fabrics, metals and graphics, creating a solution that is both visually appealing and practical.

After being greeted by Lianne, Dreamers started their day with a workshop on Professional Workplace Behaviors hosted by Crystal Lee, Vice President of Recruitment at Search Masters & Lucy Lu, Senior Vice President of LittlStar. Exercises included listing fears when starting a new internship, learning strategies for how to overcome those fears, and practicing standard procedures such as formal handshakes for a good first impression.

Afterwards we were given a formal introduction to Elevecture and the glass that they produce. It was amazing to see the different textures and applications ranging from metal walls to wireless light fixtures. Our Dreamers were able to have hands-on experience with the glass and were allowed to attempt to break the unbreakable! (spoiler: the glass did not break – despite one of the Dreamers bending tempered steel in the attempt!)

Raj Wakhale, Executive Vice President of Sales at Elevecture, helped facilitate a Sales Pitch Challenge that had our Dreamers create and pitch a product based on their glass. The theme was to create something that would benefit Community Centers in NYC. They were quick to come up with amazing ideas and created verbal presentations that were judged by both Elevecture staff & their peers.

The day ended with an insightful workshop on Turning an Internship into a Job hosted by Alea Caporrino, Associate at Bank of America in Strategy and Operations. This workshop was critical as many of our Dreamers have either recently graduated College or prepare to graduate within the next year. Dreamers had a chance to ask for advice as they prepared to start their summer 2019 internships.

Thank you to all our presenters with special gratitude to Lianne Friedman and Elevecture for providing such an engaging and productive experience for the IHDF-NY Dreamers as they enter their 2019 Summer Internships!