In 2012 Justin Hamlet graduated from Friendship Academy of Engineering & Technology, a Baltimore City public high school. After graduating he was accepted into the Year Up program at Baltimore City Community College.  “I had an internship with Morgan Stanley but after six months, I wasn’t able to complete the program,” Justin said.

Tamika Bryant attended Baltimore City public school Maryland Academy of Technology, Health & Science (MATHS) until she dropped out in the ninth grade. She had fallen behind and was considered overage and under-credited. Tamika acknowledged that she wasn’t exactly hanging around people who were going to inspire her.

When he was 16, his mother gave him a stack of papers that included a YouthWorks application. “She was like ‘OK, I’m tired of you sitting on your butt all summer so it’s time for you to get a job,’” Carr recalls with a smile. 

After Joanne lost access to her storefront due to leasing issues outside her control, she continued to operate a smaller scale business on eBay. However, she found she needed a more stable income with dependable benefits, so she returned to MOED 20 years later to start the next chapter in her life.