Nunu Monroe stood proudly at the center of the conference room in One Campus Martius in Downtown Detroit. She said, “This opportunity gave me stability, independence, and a career I could build on. I jumped on the opportunity and ran with it, and six years later, I’m still here growing, learning, and taking on opportunities I never imagined.”

Monroe is an Origination Support Specialist on the Client Experience Operations team at Rocket, where she has worked for the past six years. Her pathway to Rocket came in the form of an internship with our partners at Urban Alliance. In 2018, we brough Urban Alliance’s flagship workforce development program to Detroit, and Monroe was a member of that first cohort. She was hired on at Rocket full time after her internship concluded, an opportunity that she says changed the trajectory of her life.

We believe that everyone deserves a shot at a more prosperous life. This is the foundation of our mission at Rocket Community Fund, and it’s why we invest in workforce development programming that provides the necessary resources, mentorship, and training that the next generation needs to access in-demand careers. Our partnership with Urban Alliance is one of the most powerful examples of that commitment in action.

Eight Years of Transforming Lives

When we brought Urban Alliance to Detroit, Rocket Companies committed to serve as the anchor employer. Since then, the results speak for themselves:

  • 725 Detroit students placed in paid internships with cutting-edge companies like Rocket
  • 1,700 young people supported with workforce readiness and post-high school planning
  • $2.8 million in earned wages
  • 130,000+ hours of real-world work experience
  • $5,085,045 committed by Rocket Community Fund to Urban Alliance since 2018

“Having Rocket as an anchor employer has been transformational,” said Alphonso Amos, Executive Director of Urban Alliance in Detroit. “Rocket provides our students with access to meaningful work, dedicated mentors, professional networks, and exposure to a nationally recognized company rooted in Detroit. Their commitment provides credibility, consistency, and a powerful example of what employer partnership can look like when young people are treated as emerging talent.”

Marvin Logan, Director of Education and Employment at Rocket Community Fund, agreed. “Rocket’s brand has become synonymous with Detroit, so it is only fitting that we remain true to that notion by opening our doors for the future,” he said. “Having the learners experience all that Rocket has to offer is simply a powerful example of how important it is to believe in our young people – and the great city that shaped them.”

Celebrating Mentorship

Just last week, the latest cohort of Urban Alliance interns celebrated the completion of the program—a milestone marking months of professional growth, skill-building, and dedication. The celebration captured the full 10-week journey of these ambitious interns from first-day jitters to proud graduates with new skills and confidence in their abilities.

“These young people did more than complete internships—they discovered their strengths, built relationships with caring professionals, and began envisioning themselves as leaders in industries where they may not have previously seen a clear pathway,” said Amos.

At the ceremony, Don Beckwith, Senior Business Program Manager on Rocket’s Talent Acquisition team, was honored with a special award recognizing his extraordinary contributions to the program. Don helps place interns on teams and connects them with the mentors who shape their professional journeys and has been an integral part of the placement process since he joined Rocket in 2022.

For Beckwith, his work supporting Urban Alliance feels deeply personal. As a first-generation college student, he didn’t always have a clear sense of what careers were possible for him – which is why he believes the mentorship component of the program is so critical. “Mentorship isn’t just about job skills — it’s about social and career capital,” he said. “It’s about showing a young person that doors exist they didn’t even know to knock on. When I work alongside an intern, I’m not just helping them build a resume; I’m helping them see themselves in spaces and roles they may never have imagined for themselves. I believe that visibility changes trajectories and I see it every year with the Urban Alliance program.”

The Power of Building Strong Relationships

As any of our Rocket mentors will tell you, the mentorship aspect of the program isn’t just about career coaching. It’s about relationship building. Recently, we gathered to celebrate the mentors who dedicate their time and energy to guiding these young professionals.

Among them is Yvonne Yarbrough, a Director of Client Experience Operations who has been with Rocket for 10 years and has mentored Urban Alliance interns for six of those years. She began her mentorship journey with Urban Alliance during that first cohort back in 2018. Monroe—who had a different mentor during her internship—is now on Yarbrough’s team.  “Seeing Nunu now share her story with other interns and talk about how the program shaped her journey is a full-circle moment in itself,” she said. “She is a great example of the impact these opportunities can have and how investing in young people can create future leaders who continue to inspire others.”

Yarbrough hopes that others at Rocket will be inspired to take up the mantle of mentorship. “I wish more people understood that mentorship is not just about teaching someone how to do a job—it’s about helping young people see themselves in spaces and careers they may not have imagined for themselves,” she explained. “Sometimes one conversation, one opportunity, or one person believing in a student can change the direction of their future.”

From Intern to Team Member

Monroe agreed with this assessment. It was her experience at Rocket and the mentors she worked with that empowered her to create a different future than she had imagined. “Looking back, that internship changed the direction of my career,” she said. “It gave me my start at Rocket, helped me build confidence in myself, and showed me what was possible.”

Monroe credits a piece of advice from her leader during her internship that stuck with her from her mentor at the time, who said, “Act like you already work here.” She carried that mindset every day—and eventually, it became true.

The moment Monroe realized this experience truly changed her life came when she moved into her first apartment at 18. “I realized that if I had never signed up for the Urban Alliance program, or if I hadn’t taken my internship interview seriously, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today,” she reflected. “That opportunity gave me stability, independence, and a career I could build on.”

Today, Monroe shares her story with current interns—a full-circle moment that Yarbrough calls “a great example of the impact these opportunities can have.” As her current leader, Yarbrough has been encouraging Monroe to become an Urban Alliance mentor herself, a possibility that Monroe is seriously entertaining for the next cohort.

A Win-Win for Detroit

Monroe’s advice for current students debating their next steps reflects the power of this partnership. “It’s okay if you don’t know what you want to do after high school. Give it your all. Sometimes believing in yourself before anyone else does can make all the difference.”

That’s the kind of systemic change Rocket Community Fund is driving—and with partners like Urban Alliance, we’re proving that when you give young people a real opportunity, they will rise to meet it.