Los Angeles-Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) officials today announced a partnership with Los Angeles-based Major League Soccer (MLS) team Chivas USA. The "Imagine More. Be More!" Internship Program will offer students at Carson High School the opportunity to gain work experience in career fields such as sales and sports marketing, media relations and public affairs.
"This is a great initiative and one that we want to
replicate District-wide," said Superintendent David L. Brewer III. "I want to thank Chivas USA for its enthusiasm in making this program a reality and I'm eager to see the benefits it will bring to students at Carson High."
The internship program was developed to support the Sports
Education Recreation and Fitness (SERF) Small Learning Community at Carson High. SERF provides students with a rigorous, standards-based curriculum that can lead to pathways into a wide array of sports-related careers.
"Programs like this offer our kids the opportunity to take
learning beyond the classroom," said Dr. Richard Vladovic, Board Member for District 7. "Our kids deserve the opportunity to compete for good jobs and this partnership is a step in the right direction."
Participating students will have the option to learn about sales
and sports marketing strategies, how to generate media coverage for a professional team and ways to bring the benefits of top-level sports entities to the greater community. Administrators at Carson High expect to place as many as 30 students in a summer-long internship. All will be based out of Chivas USA offices at The Home Depot Center in Carson.
"I commend the administrators at Carson High for their
dedication to the development of this internship program and I look forward to working with them and with our partners at Chivas USA," said Local District 8 Superintendent Linda Del Cueto.
"Education is a core value for our organization and we are
grateful for the opportunity to help teachers and students at Carson High meet their highest academic potential," said Chivas USA Chief Executive Officer Shawn Hunter.
The initiative comes one year after District officials
first introduced the "Imagine More. Be More!" essay contest. Launched last spring, students were asked to submit entries on how the attributes that help athletes excel can also help students succeed in school. In addition, Chivas USA coaching staff have partnered with LAUSD's Beyond the Bell (BTB) branch and will host athletic clinics for LAUSD soccer coaches later this month.
