EXP The Opportunity Engine

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EXP The Opportunity Engine EXP® The Opportunity Engine prepares high school students for success in school, career and life! Our Mission: EXP prepares students for a better life.

Our programs help young people gain experience, unlock doors and build the confidence they need to succeed in school, career and life. Our Vision: Every student having equal access to education, experiences, and career opportunities that will help them reach their full potential. Our Goals: EXP brings industry and schools together to build tomorrow’s workforce and provide career opportunities to students from underserved communities in Southern California.

What an inspirational morning at the Centinela Valley Union High School District 10th Annual Industry Partner Breakfast ...
10/14/2026

What an inspirational morning at the Centinela Valley Union High School District 10th Annual Industry Partner Breakfast earlier this month. Our team and 200+ other industry representatives met students representing the nine pathways and heard about their experiences.

We proudly cheered extra loud for our students in the Biomedical Careers Academy at Lawndale High School and the Environmental Careers Academy at Leuzinger High School.

This is what a true community partnership looks like, empowering youth to step confidently into tomorrow's workforce together!

Real-world learning in action! Earlier this week, EXP Senior Program Manager Patty Negrette accompanied Barstow Unified ...
10/09/2026

Real-world learning in action! Earlier this week, EXP Senior Program Manager Patty Negrette accompanied Barstow Unified School District Barstow HS and Barstow Community College CTE students on a workplace tour of Clark Pacific to see building-systems manufacturing careers up close.

Thank you for the opportunity to bring our students to your facility! We are excited about this new partnership.

What an evening of friends, fun, and fundraising for San Pedro Education Foundation this weekend! Cheers! 🍻 🧡 The EXP te...
10/01/2026

What an evening of friends, fun, and fundraising for San Pedro Education Foundation this weekend! Cheers! 🍻

🧡 The EXP team were excited to join our friends at APM Terminals Los Angeles Pier 400 at the San Pedro community at the 2026 Sips & Sounds charity event at Port Town Brewing Company to support SPEF’s dedication to the enhancement and advocacy of the public schools in San Pedro.

In the pic: Internship Program Manager Trevor Amy, VP of Operations Lisa Lampon, and CEO Mary Tran.

09/24/2026

💖 Today, Long Beach comes together for Day of Giving to support the nonprofits building a stronger future for our community. Donate today before midnight! --> https://www.longbeachgives.org/donate/exp

At EXP, we're focused on one thing: expanding opportunity for our students.

For Mike Leue, CEO of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA), supporting Long Beach Gives is personal.

As a fourth-generation Long Beach native and a son of local educators, investing in students means investing in the future of Long Beach and Southern California's workforce, industries, and communities that make our region strong.

That’s why EXP’s Executive Board of Directors, including Mike, has come together to make a $10,000 matching gift.

Today, your gift can help unlock it and help students connect education to the real world through career exploration, mentors, career readiness preparation, and paid internships.

Together, we can help create more opportunities for students to explore careers, connect with mentors, gain real-world experience, and build the confidence to pursue what comes next.

Please make your gift TODAY!

When Emma R. arrived at her EXP summer internship at Yusen Terminals, she knew she wanted to learn. As an engineering pa...
09/23/2026

When Emma R. arrived at her EXP summer internship at Yusen Terminals, she knew she wanted to learn. As an engineering pathway student at Sato Academy of Math and Sciencey of Math and Science, she just wasn’t sure what she would discover.

What she discovered was a whole new world.

From the boardroom to the top of a cargo terminal crane, Emma explored the people and operations behind one of Long Beach’s vital connections to the global economy. She learned about terminal operations, met crane operators and maintenance staff, connected with port operators and communications professionals, and even stepped outside her comfort zone by attending a professional industry event with her supervisor.

The experience opened her eyes to possibilities she hadn’t considered before.

“Gaining insight into the Terminals’ future projects has really inspired me to expand my professional goals,” Emma shared. “I realize that there is no need to limit myself.”

That is the power of a career-connected experience.

An internship can be more than a line on a résumé. It can introduce a student to an industry, connect them with professionals, build confidence, and help them see a future they may never have imagined for themselves.

Emma’s experience is what EXP is all about: connecting a young person with an opportunity that can change how they see their future.

Now, we want to open more doors for Long Beach students.

This summer, 171 high school juniors like Emma completed paid summer internships through EXP, including nearly 50 from Long Beach. Next summer, we aim to create internship opportunities for over 200 students.

Long Beach Gives is an opportunity for our community to invest in the students who will shape the future of our city, our workforce, and our region. Will you help EXP expand access to the experiences that helped Emma discover her potential?

From now through TOMORROW. Thursday, September 24, donate to EXP and help more students discover their potential.

Because sometimes, all it takes is one opportunity to see how much more is possible.

DONATE HERE --> https://www.longbeachgives.org/donate/exp

This summer, we hosted our first high school student through EXP The Opportunity Engine‘s Summer Internship Program! ☀️ ...
09/22/2026

This summer, we hosted our first high school student through EXP The Opportunity Engine‘s Summer Internship Program! ☀️ A Southern California native, Payton is going into her senior year at San Pedro High School. She is also taking dual enrollment classes at LA Harbor College, where she is focused on fulfilling the prerequisites for nursing programs.

Payton says she wants to earn a Bachelor’s degree in nursing because of her deep compassion for others and her strong belief in the healing properties of human connection. ❤️‍🩹 She saw this impact first-hand when her baby brother was in the NICU, and she realized what a huge difference she can make.

This summer, she had the opportunity to shadow various clinical roles at CDHC, while also using her background in fundraising and marketing to support the Advancement Department. 💌 As an active member of multiple school clubs, she has developed fundraising ideas and brought them to fruition. During her time at CDHC, she assisted before, during and after special community events, while honing her relationship building and presentation skills.

When she’s not focused on school, Payton says she can often be found at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor getting help as she prepares for college season. She has also gotten help with that from our college intern, who was in her same shoes not long ago! 🙌



09/22/2026

“I realized that providing care goes far beyond what happens in the treatment room. It also depends on community support, fundraising, and people who are willing to invest in making healthcare accessible to families who need it most.”

San Pedro High School student Payton Funk shared these insights about her summer internship with us during EXP The Opportunity Engine’s Internship Culmination, where she was selected as one of five Outstanding Interns! 🌟

Her insights align so well with Long Beach Gives, like when she said, “I learned that organizations like CDHC are able to make such a meaningful impact because of the support they receive from donors, volunteers, community partners, and people who believe every child deserves quality healthcare.”

Learn more about how you can make oral healthcare accessible to more youth with a donation to our campaign by this Thursday - the official day of giving - at longbeachgives.org/cdhc. ❤️ You can also learn more about Payton and her experience at cdhc.org/exp-intern26.. that too was made possible by support from donors, volunteers and community partners!



Coffee. Community. Opportunity! Thank you friends, EXP staff, and Teofilo Coffee Company Long Beach patrons for supporti...
09/20/2026

Coffee. Community. Opportunity! Thank you friends, EXP staff, and Teofilo Coffee Company Long Beach patrons for supporting our Long Beach Gives fundraiser yesterday.

Today we will be at Long Beach Gives Live Expo and Festival at Recreation Park Bandshell 2-5 pm. Hope to see you there!

Because everybody needs a boost, join us at Teofilo Coffee Company in Long Beach on Saturday, September 19, from 7 a.m. ...
09/18/2026

Because everybody needs a boost, join us at Teofilo Coffee Company in Long Beach on Saturday, September 19, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. 10% of all purchases will be donated to EXP to help create more opportunities for Long Beach students to explore their potential and prepare for their futures. Learn more: Coffee. Community. Opportunity. EXP x Teofilo for Long Beach Gives

Some of the most meaningful partnerships begin with a shared belief in community's power. For Teofilo Coffee Company Founder and CEO Ron Dizon, that belief is deeply rooted in his Filipino heritage.

Inspired by his mother’s stories about the Philippines’ rich coffee history, Ron set out to reconnect people with the culture, farmers, and traditions behind Filipino coffee. Today, Teofilo honors that legacy by showcasing four commercially cultivated Philippine coffee species — Arabica, Robusta, Excelsa, and Liberica, also known as Barako — supporting farming communities and helping bring Filipino coffee to the world.

But Ron’s commitment to community doesn’t stop there. In 2023, he volunteered with EXP as a guest speaker at our GPS Your Future® career discovery day, sharing his entrepreneurial journey and encouraging high school students to think boldly about their futures. Since then, he has continued to support EXP. And now, he’s helping us raise funds for Long Beach Gives.

Whether you’re discovering Filipino coffee for the first time or stopping by for your favorite drink, your purchase will support a business committed to its roots, its community, and the next generation.

What: Fundraiser for EXP's Long Beach Gives Campaign
When: Saturday, September 19, 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Where: Teofilo Coffee Company - Long Beach.5668 E. 2nd Street
Long Beach, CA 90803.

Can't make it on Saturday? Early giving starts NOW! Every dollar donated to EXP will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $8,000, doubling the impact of your generosity and helping us create even more opportunities for our students in Long Beach and beyond. --> https://www.longbeachgives.org/donate/exp

07/30/2026

Happy National Intern Day to all of our 171 high school interns! It has been an incredible journey, following your progress and watch your final presentations at 66 host sites across Southern California. We are so proud of you and cannot wait to celebrate your achievements with you at the culmination on August 7!

Thank you Port of Los Angeles for sponsoring this life-changing program! 🙏

Featuring:
Long Beach Gives
Santa Ana Chamber
Children's Dental Health Clinic (CDHC)
Marathon Petroleum
Yusen Terminals
Valero
Los Angeles Maritime Institute (LAMI)
San Pedro Meals on Wheels
Councilmember Tim McOsker

Address

5000 E. Spring Street #300
Long Beach, CA
90815

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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