August 23, 2016
By Adele Coble, Public Allies Miami Director

Palms sweating... nervously tapping your pen on your stack of crisp resume copies... hoping the interviewer likes you... what was your first job interview like? On August 11, Public Allies Miami hosted a "speed interviewing" event that connected 16 young leaders to nonprofit organizations, taking turns meeting each potential supervisor. The event was hosted by Miami-Dade College North Campus, and Interim Dean of Students, Georgette Perez, welcomed the crowd of 40 nonprofit representatives and Public Allies candidates with a message about learning and service.

After finding a match in the interviews, the young adults will start rigorous Public Allies training at Catalyst Miami on September 1 and then will serve full-time as AmeriCorps members in those nonprofits, helping to build mission-driven programs and services for the community.

Public Allies prepared for the mass-interview event by studying interview skills, learning business etiquette, improving resumes, and practicing with peers at Catalyst Miami. Their hard work paid off-- new Public Ally Imani Wade said, "I was nervous when I got here, but I learned a lot today."

Alumni of Public Allies Miami supported new candidates by volunteering for the day. Lashaevia Burns, Kevin Metellus, and Laurane Simon offered words of encouragement and support to the new group of Public Allies, while alum Aileen Alon was present as an interviewer for Opa-Locka Community Development Corporation.

All in all, the Public Allies candidates set the stage for a great year. Lidia Clarke, of the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade and Monroe, said of the Public Allies candidates, "All of the candidates embody the true spirit of the organization and are poised to serve."

Special thanks to Andiamo Pizza for providing lunch and to Barbara Pryor, Director of Single Stop, and the Single Stop team at Miami-Dade College North Campus for helping to make the day a success.