Claudia
CYD helped Claudia with her English and her immigration case. Now an MCNDHS graduate, she is pursuing her dream of becoming a therapist.
When Claudia came to the U.S. from Peru, she had already been studying psychology for two years in college. But she couldn’t enter college in the U.S. without an American high school diploma. She enrolled in MCNDHS and grew close to the CYD advisors, who helped her with everything from helping her practice English to providing a toothbrush when she needed one. Claudia was able to find a job as an office assistant at a small advertising agency. But when the pandemic shut it down, she lost her job, and was ineligible to collect unemployment due to her immigration status. CYD’s Legal Information Clinic connected her with a pro bono immigration lawyer and she was able to get her green card during the shutdown.
As soon as she had her green card, Claudia found a job at Chipotle and was promoted to manager. During her final year at MCNDHS, she especially enjoyed computer programming classes, and her CYD advisors helped her with college applications, résumé writing, and career planning. Now an MCNDHS graduate, she is studying psychology at LaGuardia Community College. In order to support herself while attending college, she completed nail tech training and is working part-time as a self-employed nail technician. She hopes to go on to a four-year college to earn a Bachelor’s degree in psychology, and is considering going into the field of human resources, which incorporates her interest in people. “CYD and MCNDHS changed my life,” she said.
