CNX Foundation, in Collaboration with Howard Hanna, Launches Real Estate Track for Mentorship Academy Students

This spring, CNX Foundation made a new career track available to Mentorship Academy students: real estate. It joins other fields, including manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and hospitality, as a potential post-high school graduation opportunity for students looking for careers that don’t immediately require a four-year degree.

Founded by CNX Resource’s President and CEO Nick DeIuliis, The Mentorship Academy is CNX Foundation’s flagship initiative, preparing 11th and 12th graders from economically challenged rural and urban communities to become impactful citizens, workers and family members through transformative learning, community engagement and leadership development. Students accepted into the program develop relationships with peers and business leaders across western Pennsylvania, as well as an understanding of the region’s career opportunities and how to pursue them. 

During the Howard Hanna Mentorship Academy Day, students met with real estate agents, mortgage loan officers, title agents, insurance agents and marketing communications professionals to start understanding the depth and breadth of possibilities the field offers. The day began with an introductory talk from Howard Hanna CEO Helen Hanna Casey. 

“To me, it’s about hometown. There are young adults here who have so much talent, and we want them to stay here. Not because they don’t have any other options, but because they want to. For us, real estate isn’t just a business. It’s about home and making an impact where we live,” said Hanna Casey. 

From learning to calculate interest on mortgage loans to designing their own real estate signs, Mentorship Academy students engaged in hands-on workshops led by Howard Hanna employees designed to inspire enthusiasm about real estate in the Appalachian basin. 

“Howard Hanna really gave us a great foundation for understanding the real estate field,” said Mentorship Academy student Aliyah Watkins. “They let us know the different areas and opportunities - I’m extremely interested in this field now.” 

As a key part of CNX’s Appalachia First strategy, which places the region’s communities, families and neighborhoods at the center of its strategic outlook, the Mentorship Academy is preparing students to become productive, impactful citizens who can succeed in an energy-driven economy. 

“The industries we are sharing with our students - they all tie in together,” said DeIuliis. “The energy field, for instance, provides numerous family-sustaining career opportunities. And as people settle into their work and start families, they want to look into buying a home, which feeds into the real estate market. Showing students the interconnectedness of the different career paths is critical as they prepare for the future.”