Azusa Unified approves Rosewater Projects internships to expand entrepreneurship training for students

The Azusa Unified School District board approved agreements June 17 to partner with Rosewater Projects and Rosewater Visions to provide a 20‑hour entrepreneurship internship for students.

Staff member identified in the record as Mister Cheng described the Rosewater arrangement as two affiliated entities—one a nonprofit (Rosewater Visions) and an umbrella group—that offer a 20‑hour entrepreneurship training and internship. Cheng said the training is led by an entrepreneur named Durrance Reeves; students who complete the program can be vetted to work with the group’s clients, including international clients. “If they successfully pass through this internship training, they get to actually work with his clients who are all over the world,” Cheng told the board.

Cheng said the internships can take place at the provider’s location if students have transportation or be completed virtually. He told the board the agreements do not carry a budgetary impact: they are structured as memoranda of understanding with local business partners and reflect work‑based learning relationships. Board members asked clarifying questions about location and budget impact; Cheng said the district maintains about 30‑plus MOUs with local business partners offering work‑based learning and that Rosewater’s agreements similarly require no district funding.

The board moved and approved the items after the discussion; the motion passed with a 3‑yes, 2‑absent vote.

Why it matters: The agreements create a corridor for students to receive entrepreneurship training and potential internship placements without drawing district funds. The program targets career readiness and may feed into career pathway opportunities for high school students.

Speakers quoted in this article are those on the record during the item discussion.