GardHouse

The first of its kind, GardHouse developed a new pipeline to employment for college students of color through small businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies. Unlike other organizations, students are encouraged to broaden their horizons by first identifying their strengths, then connecting those strengths to the profession they are working towards. We connect students with paid internships within minority-owned businesses during their fall and spring semester. Then, students are connected with generally-owned companies and organizations for summer internships. GardHouse exists to grow and develop college students of color into the next generation of workforce leaders. As Charlotte confronts the upward social mobility crisis, a gap remains for college students of color seeking employment. Over the last 50 years, students of color were found to be twice as likely unemployed upon graduating. Our mission is to increase post-graduation employment opportunities for college students of color by maximizing work-based programs.