TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Ward 2 Council Member Paul Cunningham was speaking at a Tucson Unified School District program called HEART which is for students experiencing homelessness, and pitched an internship opportunity to the crowd.
In that crowd was 2023 Santa Rita High School graduate, Marcus Threat.
“It was right place, right time. When I met him, he was confident enough to come up to me after I gave my speech. He challenged me a little bit," said Cunningham.
Kris Neal who does dropout prevention within the district met Marcus as a freshman when he overheard Marcus was skipping school.
“I didn’t really like the guy at first. I was mad. We didn't exactly meet on good terms but he was just giving me life advice about where I want to be 5-10 years from now," said Marcus Threat. " I learned school is very important, school can help me get to where I want to be in life.”
That introduction at the HEART ceremony is what helped Marcus land an internship at the Ward 2 office. Marcus will get to work alongside local agencies and learn more about what it takes to run the City of Tucson.
“I'm very blessed to be here. I'm very grateful for this opportunity that I've been given and I'm just really excited to start," said Threat.
This 14-week internship has already helped Marcus earn his drivers license and prepare a professional resume. Cunningham has decided to call this internship "Heart of Tucson" and hopes to have a handful of interns next year.
Although Marcus was not homeless, he received help and guidance through the HEART program leaders throughout high school to remain on track. For more information on what the TUSD HEART Program entails, visit their website.
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Brooke Chau is a reporter for KGUN 9. She was a part of Fresno State's newscast, Fresno State Focus and interned at KFSN-ABC30 in Fresno, CA before coming to KGUN 9. Share your story ideas and important issues with Brooke by emailing brooke.chau@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
