Our Snapshot

95%+ Minority Youth | Over 2500 Youth Served | 79% From Detroit

Excellence Corps Summer & Afterschool
Program

  • All Programs are Paid Internships, with students receiving hourly wages for investing in themselves

  • 100% of participants
    would recommend

  • 80% growth in
    leadership & critical
    thinking

  • 90% attendance

Annual
Detroit Youth Summit

  • Increased youth awareness
    of Detroit opportunities

  • Over 1400 youth in attendance since 2019

  • 93% recommendation rate

  • 2026 will be our 8th Annual Youth Summit

“C3” College Career
Community Immersion

  • Talent retention and attraction to Detroit

  • Increase from 67% to 93% mindset shift to a Dream Life
    in Detroit

  • Meetings with C-Suite

  • Access to jobs and Entreperneurship

  • College Life Experience

  • City Excursions

Scholarship Marathon

  • Top schools: Wayne State University & Michigan State

  • University

  • $560,625 in scholarship applications

  • First-gen college students
    from Detroit

Who we serve:

Annual Household Income (Before Taxes)

Age Groups Represented

46 Participants identified as
first generation college students

Career Interests & Program Discovery

Prominent Majors/ Professions/ Career Paths Being Considered

How Participants Heard About the Excellence Corps Program with L!FE Leaders

L!FE UPDATE

Angelica Williams

Start date with L!FE Leaders: 
March, 2020

Career Goal:
To advance autism and mental health research while increasing access to mental health resources for women of color.

Achievements:
2023 BMe Vanguard

2025 LeadNext Ambassador for a Global Future

Youth250 National Advisory Bureau Member

Youth Affairs Program Coordinator, Mayor’s Office – City of Detroit

L!FE UPDATE

Lessley Romero-Rodriguez

Start date with L!FE Leaders:   
October, 2020

Career Goal:
To empower youth and create meaningful opportunities for growth within the Detroit community leveraging my skills in information technology and computer science.

Achievements:
Youth Affairs Intern, Mayor’s Office – City of Detroit

Recipient of the 2025 Sparky Anderson Award for Youth in Philanthropy

Apple Developer Academy Student

L!FE UPDATE

Markuis Cartwright

Start date with L!FE Leaders: 
June, 2016

Career Goal:
Become a political leader and Mayor of Detroit.

Achievements:
2017 W.E.B. DuBois Community Service Award at Michigan State University

Since 2022, supported 1,000+ young people through mentoring, workforce development, postsecondary education, and life skills programming.

2024: Allocated millions of dollars to nonprofits serving Detroit youth in partnership with the Bill & Lisa Ford Foundation as a $10million Endowment Fellow with the Steen Foundation

Owner and operator of Detroit’s Second Best Food Truck (est. 2025).

L!FE UPDATE

Start date with L!FE Leaders: 
June 2016

Tariq Topey

Career Goal:
Career in videography and photography, while also directing short films.

Achievements:
Grand Valley State University Graduate - Majored in film and video production

I’m experienced in video directing, producing and editing. That includes software such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Lightroom and Final Cut Pro.