CareerReady awards $20,000 in scholarships at Achievers Breakfast

CareerReady graduates and scholarship recipients with the nonprofit's staff and board of directors. [Photo by Tracey Benson Photography]

Palm Beach County’s future workforce took center stage July 25 as CareerReady awarded $20,000 in college scholarships and honored its latest graduates at its fifth annual Achievers of Tomorrow Scholarship Breakfast.

The event drew students, families, educators, community partners and local leaders to celebrate young people preparing to enter college or the workforce. Among the highlights was the surprise announcement of a full scholarship to Palm Beach State College for one program graduate.

Gina Barosy, Mark Delice, Meredith Lazarre [Photo by Tracey Benson Photography]

The breakfast capped off a defining tradition for CareerReady, an organization that has spent the past decade building a pipeline from classrooms to careers. Since its founding, the nonprofit has worked with more than 3,800 students, offering career readiness training, mentorship, leadership development, internship placements, financial literacy education and a support system designed to help students succeed well beyond graduation day. In total, CareerReady has awarded more than $275,000 in scholarships.

Jervonte “Tae” Edmonds and keynote speaker Dr. Danita R. DeHaney attend this year’s scholarship breakfast. [Photo by Tracey Benson Photography]

“This scholarship is not the finish line,” says Jervonte “Tae” Edmonds, the founder and CEO of CareerReady. “It is a vote of confidence in who our students are and who they have the potential to become. Every scholarship we award represents an investment not only in an individual student, but in the future of our community.”

CareerReady reports a 100% high school graduation rate among its participants and a 95% college entrance rate, compared with Florida averages of 95% and 59%, respectively.

Ken West, Danita Dehaney, Mark-Anthony Brown. [Photo by Tracey Benson Photography]

This year’s breakfast featured keynote remarks from Dr. Danita R. DeHaney, the president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties. DeHaney spoke about the importance of investing in education and workforce development and framed the scholarship recipients not just as students, but as the next generation of community leaders.

Formerly known as Suits for Seniors, CareerReady has grown into one of Palm Beach County’s leading education-to-employment organizations, helping students graduate with the confidence, skills and professional connections to thrive in college, careers and life.

To learn more about CareerReady’s programs or to support future scholarship recipients, visit careerready.org.