Houston nonprofit builds STEM workforce pipeline through mentorship, training

As Houston positions itself for growth in emerging industries like clean energy, a local nonprofit is expanding its programming to connect youth development with workforce training, creating a pipeline that spans from middle school through early career entry.

Imagine Excellence, a Houston-based youth leadership organization, has introduced programs to address gaps in career exposure and workforce readiness.

Founded by Kyra Rénel Hardwick, the organization operates on the premise that a lack of mentorship and life-skills training is the primary barrier for young people.

“It’s really about exposure,” Hardwick told the Defender. “The more we look at the vocational gaps in industry in general, you can look at manufacturing, you can look at industrial development, you can look at design and technology, the gaps are huge in terms of knowledge.”

The organization

Hardwick describes the organization as one that promotes character education through mentoring and networking, while teaching positive problem-solving strategies to teens and young adults.

Its programs serve a population that is 40% male and 60% female, with 42% coming from low-income households, according to the organization’s demographic documentation. 

Participants comprise a majority of Black students (35%), followed by Hispanic (30%), white (15%), Asian (5%), and other racial and ethnic backgrounds (15%) across the region.

The organization’s core programming targets students ages 14 to 18, though its reach extends from middle school through young adulthood. It operates through school campus partnerships, standalone community programs, staff and volunteer training, and public events.

Its latest initiative, Imagine Hope for Harris County (IHHC), aims to align youth programming with industry demand.

IHHC is a six-session workforce training program designed to prepare adults ages 18 and older for careers in the clean energy sector.

The program combines workshops, hands-on climate projects, industry exposure, and career preparation tools such as resume development and professional networking.

Participants also receive mentorship and mental health support, with the program structured to address both technical skills and broader employment barriers. According to program materials, the goal is to build a “skilled, local workforce” capable of supporting Houston’s transition to a clean energy economy.

Schools and communities

Imagine Excellence originally operated within middle and high school campuses. 

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted that model, cutting off access to students and exposing what Hardwick described as structural gaps within the organization. In response, leadership reorganized its approach and shifted to a community-based model.

The transition expanded the organization’s reach.

Students who had no connection to partner campuses could now access programming. It also allowed the organization to build, as Hardwick calls it, a continuous pathway from middle school through career entry by adding a track for young adults aged 18 to 26.

The organization’s partners then decided to expand to include those up to age 55.

“Not only do we now have a pathway from middle school all the way to career, we have a flow,” Hardwick said. “We have the vocational opportunities, certifying partners, folks that we can take our students literally from middle school all the way through if someone followed the complete path. That’s a huge advantage. We get to create really innovative programs and allow the students to beta test.”

Think Excellence Academy

The organization’s youth offering, the Think Excellence Academy, is a leadership and career exploration program for students aged 14-18.

The program runs for approximately 9.5 months and combines leadership instruction, mentorship, internship exposure, community service, and a capstone project.

According to Hardwick, students in the program typically improve their GPA by half a point to a full point during participation. She attributed the gains largely to the program’s accountability structures. 

Students are required to maintain academic standards to remain eligible for program activities and opportunities.

The program also tracks students’ postsecondary transitions, following participants as they move from high school into college applications and career pathways.

Imagine Hope for Harris County

In addition to its youth programs, Imagine Excellence has launched a workforce training initiative for adults. Imagine Hope for Harris County (IHHC) is a six-session program designed to prepare Houston-area residents ages 18 and older for careers in the clean energy sector.

The program combines expert-led workshops, hands-on climate projects, career preparation support, such as resume building and interview coaching, and mental health and resilience training. Two pilot cohorts, each comprising 30 participants, have completed the program.

Fundraising

Imagine Excellence recently held its “Connoisseurs of Excellence” fundraising event, which Hardwick described as a dual-purpose gathering, both a donor engagement occasion and a recognition ceremony for community honorees working in STEAM fields. The organization is working to award four $2,500 scholarships to high school graduates in 2026, with fundraising ongoing.

Hardwick said the organization is exploring how its program model could be replicated in other cities and offered as a framework to institutions beyond Houston. In the near term, the focus remains on expanding the IHHC workforce program and deepening its mentorship pipeline locally.

“The more we can fill that gap and help individuals understand how energy and other sustainable environmental infrastructure is designed and built, the better we can build the workforce that’s going to sustain it for our future,” Hardwick said.