To cap off their four-year FATE journey, our 12th graders took on a real-world internship with Chick-Fil-A Southfield, owned and operated by Merit board member, Matthew Leverett. Echoing our theme that every hand has value in driving real impact, the seniors worked directly with Chick-Fil-A leadership to solve an authentic business challenge: designing promotional strategies for two major spring menu launches: the Jalapeño Ranch Sandwich and the Strawberry Hibiscus drink.
Over six weekly sessions, student teams gathered feedback directly from local customers and analyzed key trends to shape their campaign strategies. Combining their individual perspectives, each team developed unique, multi-layered strategies:
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Team Nuggets (Winning Team): Took first place with a standout strategy that featured a bold billboard on The Lodge freeway to reach 120,000 daily drivers, along with physical and digital punch cards to keep customers coming back.
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Team Chick-A-Moo’s: Focused on bringing the community together through an in-store scavenger hunt and customer surveys that rewarded diners with discounts on new menu items.
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Team Sweet Sauce: Targeted customer excitement with free samples, group dining deals (“buy 3, get 1 free”), and double app points on seasonal items.
The internship culminated in a formal pitch presentation to the Chick-Fil-A Southfield leadership team, where every senior took the stage to present their team’s solutions.
In a touching, impromptu moment near the end of the workshop, Makayla (Class of 2026) stood up to share not only the impact of the internship, but how FATE has shaped her overall journey, inspiring her peers to join in and speak from the heart about the skills they’ve gained, the relationships they’ve built, and how much they’ve grown together over the last four years.
By combining their unique talents and applying four years of growth, our seniors proved that when FATE students step into a room, they are fully prepared to lead, innovate, and excel in whatever comes next.
"The internship was a good experience. It really taught us how to work as a team and contribute to real-life tasks at workplaces” - FATE 12th grader