Karla came to the U.S. to build a better life for herself and her three sons. She always was looking to learn and grow.
Starting with learning English and securing part-time employment, multiple promotions, and now obtaining citizenship, we continue to celebrate Karla’s determination and perseverance.
Karla worked hard as an office manager and raising her three sons in Honduras. But when she had the opportunity to get a Green Card and join her husband living in Boston, her two teenage sons had to stay behind with relatives. Leaving her sons in Honduras’ dangerous gang environment worried her, but she knew she needed to find her own job in order to save money to bring them here.
When Karla enrolled in a JPNDC career training, she was struck by how JPNDC encouraged people to speak up, name their own strengths, and set their own goals. She knew she had skills to offer–but English was her stumbling block. A JPNDC Career Coach connected Karla to English classes and worked with her to create a resume, practice interviewing, and apply for jobs.
“I felt like I had won the lottery,” Karla says about being hired for her first job: 16 hours a week as a housekeeper at Brigham & Women’s Hospital.
But Karla knew she wasn’t going to stay in housekeeping. She volunteered regularly at JPNDC to renew her office skills and kept improving her English.
Since then, Karla has been promoted multiple times and is now a full-time Unit Associate in Obstetrics at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. She is proud and excited about the opportunity to interact with patients in this role.
Best of all, her sons are all safe and working here in the United States.
We continue to celebrate Karla’s determination and perseverance as she obtained U.S. citizenship in January 2021, a symbol of all of the hard work that she has put into building long-term prosperity for her family.