D2 Center staff participated in the OPS Accelere College and Career Fair on April 14, 2022. About 20 local employers, postsecondary education and training organizations, and the military were present to meet with students. Here are a few photos of the event, which had a great turnout!
D2 Center YANs Abraham Gómez Meza and Evelia Gutiérrez joined Omaha Public Schools (OPS) Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Logan, OPS Board members Tracy Casady and Margo Juarez, and other community members in a tour of new school buildings on April 13, 2022. The tour included Pine and Forest Station Elementary schools as well as the new Buena Vista High School. The D2 Center will be serving Buena Vista and the new Westview High School this fall.
The D2 Center is included in a new set of tools produced by MDRC and Child Trends for the project “Reconnecting Youth: Putting Out of School, Out of Work Youth on a Path to Self-Sufficiency.” These tools can be accessed on youth.gov. This project was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
The D2 Center participated in the OPS Independent Studies Program (ISP) College and Career Fair on Wednesday, February 16, 2022. Other organizations present included UNO, Metropolitan Community College, Iowa Western Community College, Lozier Corporation, and the U.S. Army.
Career Navigators John Moore and Bette Norton Ball (pictured in the Christmas sweater) assisted Blackburn school staff with planning and distribution of food baskets to Blackburn students and families on December 13, 2021. The holiday meal includes all the fixings and more, along with a turkey or a ham. This year Blackburn created an office space for D2 Center Career Navigators who meet weekly with seniors interested in postsecondary assistance.
D2 Center staff attended the Intern Omaha Expo at the Scott Conference Center on November 19, 2021. Hundreds of students attended from school districts in Douglas and Sarpy County to learn about career options from over 40 Omaha Metro employers in a variety of fields. Below, D2 Center Staff Specialist Jodie Martinez visits with local high school students about an internship opportunity at the D2 Center.