LYNCHBURG, Va. – Lynchburg nonprofit Beacon of Hope is working to keep young people rooted in the city by offering paid internships, community college tuition coverage and a scholarship worth up to $36,000 for graduates who choose to stay and build their careers locally.
The program places local students in paid internships, covers community college tuition and rewards graduates with a scholarship — called the “Stay Close, Go Far” scholarship — if they commit to growing their career in Lynchburg. The goal is straightforward: give students real training and financial support now so they are equipped to live and work in the city long-term.
Students begin with a week-long professional development workshop before heading to their internship sites.
“They attend a workshop for about a week, where they learn professional skills, they learn how to dress up, they learn how to deal with conflict, dealing with different personalities in the workforce, and then they go to their sites,” said Serena Hernandez, a Summer Internship Program mentor with Beacon of Hope.
The model is designed to benefit more than just the students. Employers gain workers who are already trained and familiar with local workplace expectations, while the broader Lynchburg community benefits when those graduates choose to stay and contribute to the local economy.
Virginia Scott, Lynchburg Beacon of Hope’s director of communications and development, said the program is built around the idea that every graduate deserves a meaningful path forward.
“It’s important that we understand that every single child that graduates has a valuable post-graduation plan whether that’s military, whether that’s college, whether that’s going right into the workforce. It feels like a lot of the programs that we have are aligning with the needs of our local workforce,” Scott said.
Hernandez said the level of community buy-in behind Beacon of Hope signals that the program has significant staying power.
“Just seeing how many businesses collaborate with Beacon of Hope and how many people believe in Beacon of Hope’s mission, helps me think that this program is going to continue growing,” she said.
Colleges connected to the program include Longwood University, Sweet Briar College, University of Lynchburg, Liberty University and Randolph College. For details on eligibility, application deadlines and how to apply, visit WSLS.com and search “Beacon of Hope,” or click the Education section on the homepage.