Executive Perspective: Looking Ahead in 2023

By Dr. Kimberly Leverette

The new year is always very exciting. With it comes a tremendous amount of optimism, opportunity and outlook for the future. For me, I am looking forward to 2023 and all the great things we plan to do at Flint & Genesee Education & Talent.

Overall, in the new year, we plan to continue to provide an excellent experience for the youth and adults we serve in Flint & Genesee through our various programs.

This year for YouthQuest, I am thrilled to continue to help Flint students excel, excite and explore through the programming our staff provides. We are looking forward to coordinating program-wide field trips that will expose students to arts and culture through a partnership with the FIM Whiting Auditorium.

In 2023, our sites will be providing more chances for students to explore STEAM, or science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. In lieu of our traditional STEAMQuest event, we are using our resources to provide support for sites to bring in STEAM vendors on a more frequent basis throughout the rest of the school year.

Finally, I am looking forward to seeing our YQ Biz students grow and expand the businesses they built in the latter part of 2022. I can’t wait to see students participating in pitch competitions, selling products online and at the Flint Farmers’ Market, and getting the chance to meet established entrepreneurs who will inspire them to keep growing and dreaming.

For TeenQuest, I am looking forward to seeing our program grow and expand. Through changes we put in place at the end of 2022, I am hopeful to see more flexible training for students and our partner schools. By piloting a condensed two-day-a-week model at a few of our schools at the top of 2023, I am optimistic our program will be more accessible to students. I am also excited to see more schools offering TeenQuest during day school hours in career preparation classes.

Looking forward to the spring, I am eager to see more of our Flint Promise scholars graduate from the three great colleges and universities in our area. Kettering University, Mott Community College and the University of Michigan-Flint have been great partners over the past four years. We have had 13 graduates so far with 10 more expected to graduate this spring.

Everyone in Education & Talent is eager to work closely with the other divisions at the Flint & Genesee Group to expand our training and offerings for the youth and adults we serve.

Finally, we hope to continue building upon the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts we’ve established as part of the Flint & Genesee Group. We know how important it is to be inclusive so that our staff, students and community members feel valued and uplifted.

2023 has the potential to be an exciting year for Education & Talent and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish this new year.