The 2023 / 24 WILL Empower Apprentices officially graduated from the program during a virtual commencement ceremony this week, the first such ceremony held by the program.  The class included 13 apprentices, and was the sixth class of apprentices. The WILL Empower Apprenticeship program builds labor leadership among women and non-binary people by placing apprentices with worker justice organization host sites for their first paid work in the movement.  

Apprentices, mentors and staff members from the host sites attended the virtual ceremony, which featured special graduation zoom backgrounds and a virtual jamboard graduation card.  

“I just can’t believe how much I’ve learned,” said Archna Jaiman, who did her apprenticeship in research with the Teamsters. “It makes me feel grounded in where I want to go next in the economic justice movement.”  

Arwa Alhoribi did an apprenticeship with the Rutgers Adjunct Union / AAUP and reflected that “Working like alongside people who are dedicating so much of their lives to making their workplace better, their jobs better, and fighting so hard for their coworkers has been so inspiring and so beautiful and so empowering for me.” 

Alejandra Beatty did an apprenticeship with CWA after being a rank-and-file member of the Alphabet Workers’ Union. Following her apprenticeship, she became an organizer with the Boulder County Employees Union and is president of the Boulder Area Central Labor Council. “It is because of my internship and the connections that I made with WILL Empower that I am here,” said Beatty.  

DaVonna Williams did an apprenticeship in digital organizing with Missouri Jobs with Justice, and stayed on with that organization following the apprenticeship.  Williams came to the program after a career in business, and after earning a MSW. “This opportunity really did change my life by helping me realize my own power and that I can do hard things,” offered Williams. 
 

The 2023 / 24 WILL Empower Apprenticeship program graduates and their host sites are: 

Arwa Alhoribi – – Rutgers Adjunct Union / AAUP, New Jersey and New York.  
Caitllin Barr – –  Caring Across Generations, virtual
Alejandra Beatty – –  Communications Workers of America (CWA) / Boulder, CO.  
Anna Byrd – –  Communications Workers of America (CWA), Washington, DC.
Verónica Dávalos – –  Jobs with Justice, Washington, DC.  
Madeleine Frank – –  Communications Workers of America (CWA), Washington, DC.  
Summer Gobern- – Advancing Black Strategies Initiative / JWJ,  Atlanta, GA.  
Archna Jaiman – – International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), Washington, DC. 
Maurizia Johnson – – Racine Educators United / NEA, Racine, Wisconsin.
Anna LoSecco – – Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor at Georgetown University, Washington, DC.  
Ariana MacMartin – –  Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), Washington, DC.  
Ariel Moore – –  National Black Workers Center, Los Angeles
DaVonna Williams – –  Missouri Jobs with Justice, Kansas City, MO. 

The 2024-2025 class of WILL Empower apprentices is starting their placements at unions and worker-centered organizations across the country. Check out our social media for more info!