Jesus
Jesus learned professional skills at CYD that helped both him and his mother. Today, he is going to college and tutoring new immigrant students at MCNDHS.
Jesus started MCNDHS right in the middle of the pandemic shutdown. He had already graduated from high school in Colombia, but getting his American diploma posed two major challenges: the English language and remote learning. Fortunately, his CYD advisor reached out to him regularly to make sure he was doing well – and to work with him on his English. He said, “I felt like I could talk freely to my advisor about what was happening in my life, all of my concerns. From the beginning, my desire was to apply to college.”
When schools reopened, he began to seek new opportunities. “Ms. Hattie told me about competitive programs and internships that I could apply for. She told me I was capable.” He got into both the STEM Program at Cooper Union and the Learning to Work (LTW) internship at CYD. LTW taught him financial literacy and how to write a résumé and cover letter and prepare for an interview. “What I learned there will be useful for my whole life, and I’m grateful I was a part of it.”
When Jesus’s mother was struggling to find a job, “I taught her the skills I had learned in LTW and helped her with her résumé, cover letter, and applications. When she got an interview, I shared tips on how to behave and dress, and what questions to ask. Finally, she got a job!”
Jesus’s advisors helped him with college and financial aid applications, and he is now attending Baruch College, studying international business. And he has joined the CYD staff! Jesus is working as a tutor at MCNDHS, where new waves of immigration have brought in many Spanish-speaking students who speak little to no English. Jesus provides crucial academic support – and a model for success and giving back.
