Wesley-Rankin Aspiring Professionals (WRAP) cultivates the talents of high school students to increase their college and career successes. Students who complete the program find themselves on a pathway to earning a living wage in a career with upward mobility. WRAP uses a 4-part approach: post-secondary preparation, soft skill coaching, financial support and education, and family engagement.
Beginning in the second year of the program, students receive a small scholarship (about $50-60/week) as compensation for the lost opportunity to spend their time working elsewhere, to build starter funds, and to practice responsible money management now. Students begin WRAP in 9th or 10th grade, and graduates will be equipped to enter directly into an apprenticeship, ongoing education, and/or another career pathway to a living wage.
No matter what a student’s long-term career interests are, this program has something for them!
What to Expect from WRAP
Students entering 9th or 10th grade are eligible to join the WRAP program. WRAP 101 currently takes place on Tuesdays evenings from either 5:00-6:00 PM or 7:00-8:00 PM and focuses on basic professional skills like workplace communication, writing resumes, and identifying personal strengths & interests. Once students have completed WRAP 101 in good standing, they are eligible to receive scholarship pay, paid out twice/month, for their time in WRAP. WRAP 201 and beyond meets on Wednesday evenings, 6:15-9:00pm and includes dinner, coaching, workshops, skill development, and more. Students also get to take field trips a couple Saturdays per semester to visit colleges and build their career skills.
Coaching
Much like a basketball coach can provide wisdom, create drills to develop your skills, and help you see what you can’t, WRAP coaches do the same to grow professional skills and “soft skills” – those intangible skills you need to be successful in life like self-awareness and critical thinking. WRAP’s coaching philosophy is based on Jim Herrington’s definition:
“I believe that [young] adults learn in a fairly simple way: we gain information, we practice in real life and then we reflect on our practice. Then we repeat, with support, until we start to see real change. A coach can help share information from a pool of expertise, can help you decide how to practice and give you support for your practice, and then can help you reflect in a way that empowers your learning from both success and failure. I believe that this kind of learning is learning that lasts.”
Coaches guide WRAP students through this learning cycle by helping determine useful practices, asking good questions to spark reflection, and offering their expertise.
Summer Internships
There’s no better way to experience professionalism than with a hands-on approach. During WRAP Summer Internships, interns will gain new skills, identify gifts and growth areas, create valuable connections, learn through exposure to new environments, practice important workplace skills like communication and time management, and earn money.
The WRAP Summer Internship program is designed for students to work ~20 hours per week for 7 weeks of summer.
WRAP is always on the lookout for additional internship opportunities, and previous internship placements have included work in:
- Culinary arts
- Community engagement
- Constructions
- New client intake
- Office assistance
- Inventory management & organization
- Linework
- New volunteer training & integration
- Research
- Data entry
Program Partners
In order to provide inclusive and accessible programs to all in West Dallas, Wesley-Rankin does not require citizenship, residency, or other status documentation for enrollment in the WRAP Program. While the WRAP program simulates a work environment for the experience & development of our students, program participants are not employees of Wesley-Rankin.
