Photo of Melinda Leland

1. Could you give me an overview of the Ignite program?

The United Way of Southwest Virginia offers initiatives for middle and high school students, and these make up the Ignite program. These initiatives involve hands-on activities such as the Careers Expo and Educator in Industry Tours. We have previously conducted Reality Store events and hosted what's called MajorClarity, a software that the teachers can use to allow students to explore careers, jobs, opportunities, internships in Southwest Virginia. We also have a summer internship program for our youth.

2. What is your favorite part of being the Director of Youth Success for the United Way of Southwest Virginia?

I enjoy being the lever between school systems and businesses in our community and making sure that students in Southwest Virginia know about healthy businesses, work opportunities, and occupations that can be found right here at our backdoor.

3. Since you have started the Ignite project, is there a particular moment or memory that stands out?

I will have been with United Way for three years this summer. One of my most vivid memories is my first year orchestrating the Careers Expo, a two-day event that highlights occupations in Southwest Virginia. During this event, 4,700 7th graders move through four zones, partaking in hands-on activities and learning from more than 100 volunteers about occupations in the area. The elation at seeing the event completed and thinking about how we had brought together 4,700 students and 110 volunteers was very memorable for me. The students learned a lot, and everyone was happy with the outcome.

4. How have K-12 students reacted to the Ignite project curriculum and hands-on learning?

After our events, we survey teachers and students to gauge their reactions and ask for suggestions on how to strengthen our activities. We serve 19 school systems in Region 1 and Region 2, and overall the reception to our initiatives has been positive. Schools are super excited to partner with us and are thankful for the additional resources we provide them, which give them the opportunity to take part in activities they couldn't do on their own.

5. How has your project changed due to COVID-19? What are some challenges you have had to overcome?

The great thing about the initiatives we had taking place in our school systems is that students could complete their activities anywhere, from home on their computer, in a guided classroom such as Google Classroom, or in a physical classroom. We did have to switch our annual Careers Expo to a virtual event, as we couldn’t bring in 4,700 students or 100 volunteers anymore. The online event was rolled out in October, day by day. Before the event, students were given pre-work where they used the software MajorClarity to create an academic career plan. Students then visited a website where they could see an employer, learn about occupations and work projections, and do a hands-on activity. When you came to the Careers Expo in previous years, students got to see demonstrations or interact with something, such as welding simulators, for example. This year, we asked employers to do the same sort of demonstration, only online. Some of the online demonstrations included demonstrations of water quality, a salamander exploration, and an IT simulation. If there wasn't a hands-on exploration piece, we included links for our teachers and students to go to a website and learn more about the activities that could take place. In regards to our Educators in Industry Tours, instead of taking teachers to businesses, businesses Skyped in to have discussions with teachers and answer questions, just as they would have in person.

6. What is your favorite part of being a GO Virginia grantee?

Documenting accomplishments and seeing how we’re serving our community, I think is my favorite. When you work on narrative reports, you see what you've been able to accomplish, you see where there may be some weakness that you need to adjust for, and you also see things that you need to celebrate.

A few numbers specific to Region 2 include:

  • 620 students had access to our virtual Careers Expo.
  • 8 schools with a total of 893 students from Giles, Pulaski, Radford, Floyd, and Montgomery Counties were invited. 
  • 14 middle and high school teachers from 7 schools in Region 2 participated in an Educators in Industry Tour with one of our businesses.

7. Is there an accomplishment you have made that you are most proud of regarding the Ignite program?

Before I came to United Way, I was impressed with all the work they were doing in their community. That's what drew me to them. United Way has initiatives that help children from birth all the way to the high school level (and currently beyond). Our cradle to career approach helps us fight for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in Southwest Virginia because they are the building blocks for a good quality of life. When I came into the organization, I got to start our summer internship program. I enjoyed researching opportunities for high school students and seeing businesses across all of our localities hire students. Getting to start that program and watching it grow is what I am most proud of. I am also excited about expanding our Ignite program with new programs and services.

8. What does the future of Ignite look like?

It will continue to grow. The three Youth Success staff members have numerous years of experience in various areas. We are always looking opportunities to offer our schools and businesses. We hope that every y there are new opportunities for us, to change, grow, and help students in Southwest Virginia see the opportunities they have in the area.

9. What activities do you like to do in your spare time?

I like to go to the lake, spend time with my family and garden – I grow both vegetables and flowers.

10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Previous to this job, I worked in the K-12 system and the community college system. I think the thing that sticks with me is: never stop learning, no matter how old you are or how young you are. Always be excited about something new to get into. Always be excited about change because it's going to happen so if you're excited about it, it makes it easier to deal with.