Neff College of Business’ Y.E.S. Program Savors Success

Neff College of Business' Y.E.S. Program Savors Success

When Laila Fitzpatrick donned a health professional's white coat at a ceremony in August, a milestone in her yearslong journey toward a doctor of pharmacy degree, Craig Turner was nearly as excited as her family to celebrate her success.

"Laila has known what she's wanted to do since I met her as a sophomore in high school, and she knew that it wasn't going to be a walk in the park," said Turner, director of the Young Executive Scholars (Y.E.S.) Program at The University of Toledo's John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation. "She's always been an excellent student and she's done exceptionally well at UToledo. I'm proud to watch her following her dreams and excited for her future as a pharmacist."

Fitzpatrick is an alumna of Turner's Y.E.S. Program, which the Neff College of Business established in partnership with the Toledo Public Schools' Jones Leadership Academy of Business in 2017. The college and career readiness program has since enjoyed a perfect success rate of landing approximately 120 alumni in colleges, universities and other post-secondary programs, including at UToledo.

Y.E.S. welcomed its latest cohort of 20 students with a kickoff lunch earlier this month.

"Y.E.S. is all about college and career readiness, and a key way we do that is by bringing high school students to campus and exposing them to a wide variety of career paths," Turner said. "We want to help them build their confidence and discover what opportunities are waiting for them after high school."

Between 20 and 35 Jones Leadership Academy students, ranging from ninth to 12th grade, have participated in the Y.E.S. Program each year since 2017. Turner organizes annual activities including site visits to major regional employers like Dana and Owens Corning and business etiquette workshops and careers fairs at UToledo.

Ahead of the college's spring job fair in February, this year's cohort is set to participate in a career development workshop facilitated by the student organization Minority Professionals in Business. UToledo students will mentor the younger students on topics like writing a resume, preparing an elevator pitch and practicing with mock interviews.

"Community engagement is critically important to the Neff College of Business, and the Y.E.S. Program is a great example of how we can engage area youth and the business community in a way that benefits our community at large," Dean Barbara Ritter said. "We're proud to encourage these high school students to embrace their potential and see the amazing opportunities available to them at UToledo, as well as what they can do at other colleges and training programs after high school."

Fitzpatrick, who as a high school student also participated in the scholarship incentive program Toledo Excel, is pursuing a minor in business administration at the Neff College of Business in addition to her doctorate of pharmacy.

She said the college career fair was an annual highlight of the Y.E.S. Program, and she credits the program with teaching her valuable skills as she pursues a career in ambulatory care or clinical pharmacy.

"A skill that has stayed with me since graduating from the program is the ability to network and build professional relationships," Fitzpatrick said. "These abilities exposed me to many opportunities, and I appreciate Mr. Turner and the Y.E.S Program for giving students a safe space to build these skills."