III.1. 2023 Ace Program Review; Arangure and Imihy Bean
CITY OF HOPKINS
Memorandum
To: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
Mike Mornson, City Manager
From: Arleth Arangure, Youth Programs Coordinator
Date: August 8, 2023
Subject: 2023 ACE Program Review
_____________________________________________________________________
PURPOSE
To provide an overview of the 2023 ACE Program.
INFORMATION
The Advancing Careers and Employment (ACE) program was developed in partnership
between the Hopkins Public School District, the Hopkins Race and Equity Initiative
(HREI) and the cities of Hopkins and Minnetonka. The ACE program offers a paid
summer internship for young adults ages 16-24 who might traditionally face barriers to
employment, to gain valuable work experience, expand their skillset, and get a head
start in a career path that interests them.
Our eight interns this year worked part time and were employed in different departments
across Hopkins and Minnetonka including the Police Department, Fire Department,
Public Works, Activity Center, the Arts Center, Planning and Zoning and Minnetonka
Administration. Throughout their internships, the interns have participated in weekly
professional developments including topics of conflict resolution, entrepreneurship, and
finances to name a few. These sessions were followed by a fun activity every Tuesday
which ranged from a scavenger hunt, to bowling, to an escape room and everything in
between.
Staff would like to give a special thank you to the supervisors of the interns, as well as
the mentors for making this internship an unforgettable experience for the interns.
Additionally, staff would also like to thank the City of Minnetonka for joining us and
onboarding their very own intern.
Furthermore, we are happy to share that Lizzy Wittrock has accepted a paid -on-call
position with the Hopkins Fire Department following her ACE Program internship.
Tonight, we would like to recognize the interns who have completed their internships
along with the interns who couldn’t be here tonight. Interns who are here will take a few
minutes to introduce themselves.
• Arafat Ayoola, Minnetonka Administration
• Ruth Freiburg, Hopkins Police Department
Administration
• Akorede Balogun, Hopkins Police Department
• Firdows Mohammed, Hopkins Planning and Zoning Department
• Soraya Brochado, Hopkins Public Works
• Lizzy Wittrock, Hopkins Fire Department
• Audreah Vlasak, Hopkins Center for the Arts, and lastly
• Max Starr, Hopkins Activity Center
There is no future action at this time.
FUTURE ACTION
ACE Internship -Max Starr 8/2/23
The ACE internship -for me-has accomplished exactly what it set out to do;offer career
advancement opportunities to those who may experience roadblocks.During my time in this
program,I have learned many skills that I would not have the opportunity to otherwise.I was
placed at the Hopkins Activity Center and tasked with creating a survey to assess age-friendliness
within the community.I learned and practiced skills like community outreach,data analysis,
graphic design,and Spanish translation.Through my research I learned that many senior citizens
experience loneliness and isolation,which can not only affect mental health,but physical health
as well.In order to keep our community mentally and physically well,we need to know what
resources senior citizens are lacking.This was the purpose of my survey.
The personal development aspect of this program has been particularly helpful in
helping me learn my strengths,weaknesses,areas for improvement,and what I may want to do in
the future.Hearing from government and community professionals every week has opened my
eyes to the many career opportunities out there.I’ve become particularly interested in social and
geographical studies,which I never realized I was interested in before!
Thank you to PeggySue,Arleth,Beth,Tricia,Kelsey,and Jodi for all of your help and advice along
the way.