Everywhere I turn, there's something talking about money or the state of the economy. Money and jobs are great attention-getters. And that's what the goal of this blog and other Harvest House publications are- to get attention and spread information. So, this post is a bit about money and jobs.
The New Hope Education Center was designed to help improve lives of those living in East Side Buffalo, as well as Buffalo in general. I think we can all agree that money is a necessity, for better or worse, to live a healthy lifestyle. In designing the center, classes were selected with great job outlooks for the next decade: things like, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Personal Care Aide (PCA), Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), etc. The US government has researched these jobs and thinks that they have good outlooks for the forseeable future. That's why I was happy to see that the government's promise on job security seems to be true.
I conduct a lot of conversations with students 3 months after they have completed a course. I check-up to see if they've achieved their goals, what has stood in their way, and what we can do to improve what Harvest House offers. One student responded, saying he will be working as an LPN team leader; he is going to ECC in the fall to begin their Registered Nursing program. He continued by praising our LPN instructor, saying he felt very comfortable at his job doing things that the other LPNs had not even seen yet. His response was a tremendous gift and encouragement to keep doing what we're doing here.
What other jobs or programs do you see working well and leading to jobs? Are they all in the medical field? Let me know- we are working on expanding, and we would love to bring in more great, effective programs!
Showing posts with label Buffalo Adult Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buffalo Adult Education. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
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
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
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