Education That Works: Stratos partners with Memphis Catholic

There’s nothing like hands-on experience, and that’s exactly what ServiceMaster by Stratos is providing one Memphis Catholic High School student through the school’s Education That Works program. The four-year work-study program allows students to intern at the office of a participating organization one day per week. In exchange, students earn a stipend that pays more than 25 percent of his or her annual tuition! The high school student also comes away with invaluable benefits such as enhanced critical thinking strategies and life-long learning behaviors.

In February, Stratos welcomed its first Memphis Catholic intern, Jonathan. Once a week, the junior reports to Stratos’ office to assist team members with their day-to-day responsibilities. Prior to interning with Stratos, Jonathan, who came highly recommended by the principal and vice principal, spent time with Resurrection Catholic School, Adams Keegan and Our Lady of Sorrow Catholic School.

For more than 22 years, the work-study model for high school education has been successful in enhancing the educational opportunities for urban youth throughout the United States. The program was adopted by Memphis Catholic 13 years ago when the college preparatory curriculum was transformed to better prepare students for the real world. In 2006, Memphis Catholic started with 25 partner organizations that received 106 high school student interns. Today, there are more than 70 partner organizations receiving 170 high school student interns!  

The program is not only growing in size, but its impact is also deepening as well. During semi-annual performance reviews, more than 92% of student interns meet or exceed expectations set by mentor supervisors. Stratos is proud to partner with Memphis Catholic and is excited to play a role in developing leaders of tomorrow.