An internship exploring careers – this is one of the unique offerings at City-As-School (CAS). Students spend a term taking weekly field trips to visit job sites and learn about different employment fields. CYD’s Development team was delighted to host these students to discuss careers in the nonprofit field. Students were amazed to learn that 20% of all employed New Yorkers work for a nonprofit, and that the designation encompasses not just charitable organizations but hospitals, schools, and cultural institutions. Exploring the differences between mission-driven and profit-driven careers generated a lively discussion.

CAS is a transfer school that uses an experiential learning model: students divide their school time between academic classes and internships at businesses across the city, with hundreds of options ranging from documentary film production to bakery work to real estate. The students who visited with CYD’s Development team realized that their passions – such as caring for animals – could be compatible with careers in nonprofits. Several students wanted to work in healthcare and expressed interest in the CYD Career Academy, which many CAS alumni have attended. One student observed, “Nonprofits give you more choices than working at McDonald’s or Old Navy.”

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