When Hashim Yonis arrived in Minneapolis 12 years ago with his family from wartorn Somalia, he could not speak English. But earlier this month, Yonis addressed President Barack Obama at a White House event to kick off the Obama Administration’s summer-jobs initiative.

Yonis, 23, a graduate of Minneapolis Public Schools, works in the district helping recent immigrants. And as a high school student, he participated in the STEP-UP summer jobs program, a joint initiative of the City of Minneapolis and AchieveMpls, which places teens in paid summer internships.

Yonis interned at a local law firm and in the Minneapolis’ Public Works Department, where he met important mentors, including Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak.

The co-chair of STEP-UP, Ryback invited Yonis with him to the recent White House event where Yonis was part of a panel of young people who spoke about how they have benefited from meaningful summer employment and work-readiness training.

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