Ladders for Leaders

Commonpoint Queens is home to a number of youth workforce programs, including the nationally recognized program Ladders for Leaders. Ladders for Leaders offers high school and college students the opportunity to participate in paid professional summer internships with leading corporations, non-profit organizations and government agencies in New York City.

The 2024 Ladders for Leaders application is now closed – thank you to everyone who applied.

If you are interested in learning more about any of our Youth Employment programs, please complete this form!

Contact us:

Terri Prezio
Director, Employer Partnerships – Ladders for Leaders, JFEW, CUNY
tprezio@commonpointqueens.org
718-268-5011 ext. 162

Albina Baazov, LMSW
Senior Director, Youth Employment Programs
abaazov@commonpointqueens.org
718-268-5011 ext. 111

For general questions, please email L4L@commonpointqueens.org.

This program is an initiative of the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD)

Please note that Ladders for Leaders merged with the SYEP application. Qualified students will be directed to the Ladders for Leaders application once they complete and submit their SYEP applications.

In Summer 2023, we were able to place 1011 students in 156 different worksites. Our interns secured internships in companies like:

• BlackRock
• The Paley Center for Media
• Guggenheim Partners
• NY Presbyterian
• BNY Mellon
• SHARE Cancer Support
• City Parks Foundation
• Northwell Health
• The Manhattan, Queens, Bronx and Brooklyn District Attorney Offices
• And more!

Ladders for Leaders provides paid professional internships to NYC youth between the ages of 16 and 24. Applicants are evaluated based on academic performance, response to essay questions, and résumé quality. Selected applicants will undertake 20-30 hours of pre-employment training designed to teach essential workplace readiness skills and professional etiquette. Participants will then have the opportunity to interview for summer internships at a variety of companies across New York City. Partnering employers make final selections on hiring for the six-week paid internship.

Who is Eligible:

• Youth between the ages of 16-24 at the start of the program who are enrolled in high school or college
• A minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00
• Resident of one of the five boroughs of New York City
• Anyone with prior work experience, either paid or volunteer
• Legally allowed to work in New York City

Ladders for Leaders gives students a unique opportunity to explore their interests and discover new ones through:

• Pre-employment Training: Receive help with resume and cover letter writing, and interviewing skills. Learn essential workplace readiness skills and business etiquette.
• Paid Summer Internships: Paid internship opportunities available in a variety of industries in New York City to accommodate student interests.
• Opportunity to join our growing Alumni Network: Broad network of alumni, post-internship opportunities and networking events open to past participants of the program.

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Let’s succeed together! Refer a friend who may be interested in Ladders for Leaders to gain professional work experience.

Since its inception in 2006, Ladders for Leaders has helped introduce high achieving and motivated young people to the world of work, while also providing the tools and skills they need to become successful young professionals. While creating a pipeline of career opportunities for a new, talented, diverse young adult population, the program has provided NYC businesses access to a skilled pool of potential future employment prospects.

Who are our participants?

Outstanding students from top high schools and colleges

Trained to work in a professional work environment

Skilled in the use of technology and social media

Diverse representing various cultural and educational backgrounds

“The Ladders for Leaders program at Commonpoint Queens provided us with a top-notch intern for the summer. The team at Ladders for Leaders worked diligently to present us with high-quality and intelligent candidates that fit the qualifications we were looking for to do special project work in our research department. The intern we secured for the summer was an outstanding fit for the role and helped our business kick off a new initiative that we are currently scaling for future growth. We would highly recommend this program to other employers and look forward to hiring another Ladders for Leaders intern in the future!”

– Michael Bizenov, President of Sound Royalties

Join Our Network of Supporters! There are many ways to partner with Ladders for Leaders:

Interested in learning more about what a partnership with L4L looks like?

Terri Prezio, Ladders for Leaders Corporate Development Manager
tprezio@commonpointqueens.org
718-268-5011 ext. 162

Partnered Worksites in Summer 2023

Below is a map of all of our worksites.