Summer Program Builds Career Confidence

August 22, 2025

To celebrate the end of the 2025 Summer Career Institute (SCI), Mercy Home’s young men were presented with certificates and awards for all their dedication and hard work.

The Summer Career Institute, a month-long program that provides our young people with an opportunity to visit different workplaces and network with a diverse group of professionals, was organized by the Education & Career Resources team at Mercy Home. On a recent Thursday afternoon, the young men, still dressed in their professional attire from a site visit earlier that day, were formally recognized for their hard work and treated to ice cream sandwiches.

“I know there may have been days where you may not want to be a part of SCI,” Mercy Home Education & Career Resources Coordinator Gabe Avalos told the group. “You had to wake up early on your summer break, but you showed a lot of perseverance and put your best foot forward.”

As far back as February, Avalos and coworkers began planning for site visits and volunteers for the two networking lunches that would be hosted at the Home.

“The purpose of the Summer Career Institute is to guide our youth and help them learn about different career options after high school,” Avalos said.

The program kicked off in early July when the young men traveled to WaterSaver Faucet Company and toured the manufacturing facility. Representatives from the company’s human resources, sales, and business teams spoke and answered questions from the group.

The purpose of the Summer Career Institute is to guide our youth and help them learn about different career options after high school

Gabe Avalos, Education and Career Resources Coordinator

While they started a little shy, participants became more comfortable with each visit to different work sites, particularly as they practiced their public speaking, networking, and research skills.

“I’m most proud to see the growth of each of the youth from when they started in SCI to when they finished,” Avalos said. “I saw a growth in confidence and inspiration to put in the work. I hope these skills translate to the academic world in the fall and [to] the workplace in the future.”

In between the site visits, the young men did on-campus work and participated in coworker-led research, crafting questions for the professionals they would meet in the following weeks. Shawn, one of the young men in the program said that he “learned how to manage my time in the workplace.”

“Career building isn’t really important in my hometown,” Josh said. “There aren’t a lot of programs that you can join. There is a lack of resources for programs in my community like the things we have been doing lately.”

In addition to visits to the Chicago Blackhawks, Google, MidLakes Distributing, MHub and the Chicago City Hall, business professionals also came to Mercy Home for networking lunches and Huntington Bank’s Reality Day program.

“This program brought me pride and fulfillment,” one of the older boys said. “It gave me the confidence to walk into a building that once seemed out of reach.”

Before the final ceremony, youth took one final site visit to Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox. There, they met with a panel of front office members before stepping onto the outfield warning track for a tour of the stadium.

The group gathered back at Mercy Home afterward to celebrate their successful summer. Many of the young men received awards for such achievements as perfect attendance and outstanding performance.

“They were not only well behaved, but they were engaged in these site visits,” Avalos said. “Many times, after I did meetings after the visits, they applauded our young people for asking thought-provoking questions.”

While the visits were geared toward career education, Avalos encouraged youth to see these experiences in the fuller context of everything they do at the Home to prepare for their futures.

“Remember, Mercy Home is just a pit stop for you all,” he told the young men. “It is not the final stop.”