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Learn More about PATHWAYS TO PROSPERITY: REFORM 3.0 

Due to winter weather, Southwest will continue with virtual classes/remote learning and work
through saturday, Jan. 31. All campus locations will be closed.

Southwest Tennessee Community College Celebrates First Cohort of MLGW CEES Academy Graduates

Students from the CEES Academy and their leaders pause for a graduation photo.
Students from the CEES Academy and their leaders
pause for a graduation photo.

A powerful new chapter opened for ten young Memphians this January as they walked across the stage at Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) to celebrate their completion of the Customer Experience and Energy Services (CEES) Academy—a workforce pathway built through a partnership between Southwest Tennessee Community College and MLGW.

These graduates, all May 2025 alumni of Kingsbury and Cordova High Schools, are now full time MLGW employees earning $28 per hour in the company’s call center. For many, this marks not only the beginning of a promising career but also a meaningful economic turning point for their families.

A Partnership Designed to Change Futures
Southwest and MLGW created the CEES Academy as a learn and earn model that connects recent high school graduates directly to stable, well paying careers. The pathway begins with a five week intensive boot camp at Southwest, followed by hands on training inside MLGW’s Customer Experience and Energy Services Academy.

This collaboration reflects a shared commitment: preparing Memphis’ young talent for real opportunity.

What Students Learned at Southwest
The CEES Academy was intentionally designed for students who had completed high school just days earlier. Southwest faculty and MLGW built a curriculum that blended essential workplace skills with technical training that mirrors what is expected of a Service Advisor role at MLGW.

Students gained foundational knowledge in:

  • Workplace Climate & Culture
  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Teamwork & Collaboration
  • Critical Thinking & Decision Making
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Computer Literacy
  • Basic Math & Graphic Literacy
  • Customer Service Principles
  • Call Center Etiquette & Handling Difficult Customers

To demonstrate mastery, students completed case studies, role playing exercises, and capstone projects. Each participant was also paired with a customer service professional mentor and spent time on MLGW’s call center floor—listening to live calls, reviewing data systems, and discussing real world scenarios with frontline teams.

President and CEO of MLGW Doug McGowan at the CEES Academy graduation ceremony.
President and CEO of MLGW Doug McGowan at the
CEES Academy graduation ceremony.

A Ceremony Marking the Start of Their Professional Journey
The graduates were honored on Jan. 14 at a ceremony hosted at MLGW and attended by MLGW President and CEO Doug McGowan, Vice President of CEES Timothy Davis, City Council Members, and Southwest leadership. The event celebrated not only their academic and professional achievements but also the promise of what lies ahead.


Southwest’s Associate Vice President of Workforce and Career & Technical Education, Amy Shead, shared heartfelt remarks about the significance of this milestone during the ceremony: “We are incredibly proud of these students and deeply grateful for the opportunity to help shape their futures. Our partnership with MLGW reflects what is possible when education and industry come together with a shared purpose. MLGW’s trust in Southwest allows us to open doors for young Memphians, and we are honored to walk alongside these students as they take their first steps into meaningful careers.”

Beginning a career at $28 per hour gives these graduates a foundation many young people rarely experience so early in life. It means stability. It means dignity. It means the ability to support themselves and contribute to their households. And it means they are entering a workplace where they can grow, advance, and build long term careers.

Congratulations to the CEES Academy Graduates listed below. 

Tremanye Brooks
Sebastian Final Comacaro
Tamyra Harris
Caren Lopez
Calib Nelson
Taylor Parsons
Oliva Pittman
Jaden Powell
Jada Rye
Makayla Ward

Their success is a testament to their determination—and to what is possible when Memphis institutions invest in Memphis students. Southwest looks forward to continuing this partnership with MLGW and expanding opportunities for the next generation of talent across our city.