Futures and Options empowers New York City’s underserved high school students to explore careers. Futures and Options reaches out to students at a formative time of their lives, guiding and motivating them to further their education and become productive and contributing citizens of the community. Through paid, mentored internships, this model program enables private and nonprofit businesses to gain access to promising, motivated and diverse young interns, who in turn gain much needed access to the economic mainstream, career development and support from caring adults. Since its inception in 1995, Futures and Options has coordinated 2,500 internship placements at 300 private and nonprofit businesses in New York City. In 2008, 100 percent of participating seniors graduated from high school and 95 percent attended college.