Marathon Petroleum’s Los Angeles Refinery Summer Youth Program Transforms AMA Carson High School for New School Year

This summer, Marathon Petroleum’s Los Angeles Refinery continued its 30-plus-year tradition of mentorship and dedication to its local community.

SAN PEDRO, CA, UNITED STATES, August 19, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- This summer, Marathon Petroleum’s Los Angeles Refinery continued its 30-plus-year tradition of mentorship and dedication to its local community with its 2024 Summer Youth Program.

Marathon’s most recent cohort of Summer Youth came together with Marathon employee mentors at Carson Academy of Medical Arts to beautify the health sciences-focused campus in time for the start of the new school year. The hardworking student program participants installed multiple landscaping areas with lush new plantings, fresh soil and mulch, and painted a series of program-inspired murals and motivational quotes along the school’s corridors and lockers.

Marathon’s Summer Youth Program allows local high school students ages 17-19 to explore potential careers, experience real life work expectations, and develop a strong foundation for employability. As a part of the paid 7-week program curriculum, students take part in a community service project, supporting Marathon’s deep tradition of philanthropy and giving back to its community.

Several of the student volunteers working to beautify Carson AMA were students at that school and were thrilled to be a part of this important day. “This program has helped me a lot,” shared Marathon Summer Youth Program participant Victoria Gutierrez. “It helps you put that one foot in the door towards becoming an adult, where there’s a lot of skills that most people my age don’t know, like how to write a resume, how to speak in front of an audience. They’re teaching us a lot of things that we can use later in life.”

“It’s really eye opening on all the different trades and careers you can have after high school. My mentor, I look up to him as a father figure. He’s taught me many life lessons–not just in the refinery, keeping myself safe, but just in life in general. He’s been helping me with my future, with college and different career plans for me,” shared Marathon Summer Youth Program participant Eddie Sanchez.

In attendance to celebrate and support the day were Carson Council Member Arleen Rojas, LAUSD Regional South Director Rudy Mendoza, and Superintendent South District Andre Spicer.

The Summer Youth Program—which pulls from 9 local schools and is run entirely by Marathon employees—has become a beloved personal initiative for the organization.

“Many current longtime Marathon employees got their start through the program years ago and can attest to the impact that it had on them both personally and professionally,” shares Olga Chavez, Marathon’s Senior ESG and Stakeholder Engagement Representative. “Being able to provide these youth with tangible, real-world experiences, while also contributing to the vitality of our schools and communities goes hand in hand. It means everything to Marathon to be able to make a difference in the communities we operate in. We will continue doing this for years to come.”

Additional photography is available upon request.

For more information about Marathon’s Summer Youth Program, community impact, or for information about Sharefest, please contact:

Carrie Kommers
Communications Manager
Sharefest Community Development
carrie@sharefestinc.org

About Marathon Petroleum Corporation and its Los Angeles Refinery:
Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) is a leading, integrated, downstream energy company headquartered in Findlay, Ohio. The company operates the nation's largest refining system. MPC's marketing system includes branded locations across the United States, including Marathon brand retail outlets. MPC also owns the general partner and majority limited partner interest in MPLX LP, a midstream company that owns and operates gathering, processing, and fractionation assets, as well as crude oil and light product transportation and logistics infrastructure. MPC’s Los Angeles Refinery (LAR) is the largest refinery on the West Coast, with a crude oil capacity of 365,000 barrels per calendar day. It manufactures cleaner-burning California Air Resources Board (CARB) gasoline and CARB diesel fuel, as well as conventional gasoline, distillates, natural gas liquids and petrochemicals, heavy fuel oil and propane. LAR ships products via its connections to several product distribution pipelines and terminals. Its Watson cogeneration plant produces 400 megawatts and is the largest cogeneration facility in California. More information is available at marathonpetroleum.com.

Carrie Kommers
Sharefest Community Development
+1 310-469-2434
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Marathon Summer Youth Program Transforms Carson Academy of Medical Arts in Time for New School Year