Leap of Faith

In January, The Buffalo News ran an article about a former New Hope Education Student.  Yanely Rayes was a student of the Medical Office Assistant Program.  She gave up much more than most for a chance to succeed.

Rayes left her family in Puerto Rico, feeling that she had a better chance to prosper in Buffalo, New York.  However, she found the land of opportunity to be paved in difficulty.  She was living in a homeless shelter until she found work as a gas station cashier.  Rayes became pregnant with very little to support a child in her new home.  She waited until she was 7 months pregnant before she called her family in Puerto Rico; she was met with surprise when her mother flew over the day before the child was born.

The critical point in her story came after the baby was born.  Yanely's mother made a deal that seemed shocking to me:  she would take the baby back with her to Puerto Rico, leaving Yanely by herself; however, the baby would be returned whenever she got a good job. 

When I read this, I was filled with emotion.  Different thoughts ran through my head: "How painful it must be for a mother to let someone else take her newborn child away!"  But, I now think about this situation in a different way.  I have no doubt that Yanely was filled with pain during this time.  But, I also see an impressive amount of confidence and trust in herself, as well as her mother.  Rayes had enough confidence to think that it was only a matter of time before she got a good job.  That speaks volumes today.  Recent college graduates are struggling to get ANY job, much less a good one.  They are staying in school or hibernating until the economic climate warms up.  However, Yanely was able to get a job through Kaleida Health on her 21st try!  This is not a job atmosphere for the faint of heart.

I see spiritual fortitude every day at the New Hope Education Center.  Students walk into New Hope in their teens or in their 60s.  Both have made a goal to learn continuously, to keep their minds free from stagnation with the goal of getting a good job.  It takes a lot of self-confidence and determination to struggle free of financial dependency.  For Yanely, it took a determination as if her life or the life of her child was in jeopardy.  And in a sense, it was.  What a leap of faith.

To read the article in The Buffalo News, click the link below: http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/buffalo/article300501.ece