Aireyonna wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life. Nursing had always been a passion of hers, but she had to put it on the back burner due to becoming a mother as a teenager and, in her words, “life in general.” (Who can’t relate to that?) However, she held out hope that she would get to return to her dream at some point, and, as she puts it, “YJC was that stepping stone for me.”

Meet Montserath, a kind and driven young woman with an inspiring story. Read about how she dusted off a previously abandoned dream and found her spark again.

Jeremiah had never had a job, and he wanted to change that. Ready to get started—and especially interested in working at Old Navy—Jeremiah connected with YJC, where he got top-notch support to help him achieve his goal, including interview coaching (since he had never participated in a job interview before) and preparation for entering the TWO program.

21-year-old Destri says, "Before YJC, I thought I would’ve been stuck in survival mode barely making ends meet." Read her story of building confidence, bonding with her career coach, and utilizing resources provided by YJC (like a brand new laptop, a bus card, scrubs, financial workshops, and more) to build a life she didn't know was possible.

When Jahaira came to YJC, she had been going to school, working in customer service, and trying to figure out a plan for her career. She was directed to YJC by Chicago Community Learning Center (CCLC) and signed up for services, in what she describes as “honestly the best decision ever.”

Meagan and Sean, a young couple with big dreams and two children to support, launched their career journeys by utilizing the resources at YJC.

Kendall joined YJC three years ago as a high school student looking for a part-time job. Today, he’s an experienced JavaScript coder heading for a career in I.T.

Fresh out of high school and contemplating her future, Yasmine came to YJC with a general idea of where she wanted to go—college, a healthcare career—but unsure of what steps to take to get her there. Fortunately, YJC was able to get Yasmine everything she needed to put her plan into action.

Darius, a freelance web developer with ambitions to work in the public sector, tells us in his own words about his career journey and his experience with YJC.