AGE: 21
POSITION: Pharmacy Technician
EMPLOYER: Walgreens
Fatima grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan, where she excelled academically and enjoyed advocating for women’s rights. When she and her family moved to the U.S., however, Fatima found it understandably difficult to adjust. “I wasn’t used to using a computer, using the internet, or communicating with others constantly in English,” she shares.
Despite these challenges, she enrolled at Chicago Community Learning Center to pursue a medical career. When she found herself in need of additional funding for her education, the folks at CCLC referred her to Youth Job Center.
At YJC, Fatima found more than tuition assistance. Through participating in Workforce Readiness Training and the healthcare career pathways program, Fatima armed herself with a robust toolkit of valuable skills. “Now that I think about it, there were so many things I couldn’t understand in the past. Simple things like using a computer, understanding how to use Zoom, writing a professional email,” she says. “Now I know how to apply for jobs, interview, update my resume, etc.”
She also was able to get a laptop through YJC’s Starbucks partnership, which was a huge help with her online classes—submitting assignments and logging onto Zoom sessions was much easier to do on a laptop than it was on her cell phone.
Another YJC resource Fatima made good use of was the support of her career coach. “My career coach helped me find my confidence again,” she says. “She was able to remind me of all the skills I have and encouraged me to try new things.” Her career coach also connected her with English classes and tutoring, to ensure she would be able to keep up with the basic demands of a pharmacy job, and one-on-one assistance at the local library so she could learn to use computers.
“Another important thing for me: she understands my background and my culture, which helped so much,” Fatima says, “because I didn’t have to explain why I have to do things differently and my position in my family.”
Family is important to Fatima. With siblings to care for and two parents on disability, she’s the head of her household, providing financial support as well as translating for them at doctors’ appointments, helping them find work, and helping them increase their independence. With the level of responsibility she holds, and the discouragement of not having a degree or relevant work experience, Fatima found it hard to prioritize her own goals and dreams. “Many times, I wanted to switch to career paths that were shorter and off-track with my goal because I needed more income to support my family,” she says. “YJC has helped me stay focused and supported me to stay on track with my goals.”
It wasn’t always easy. “Even though I speak English, my accent throws people off, or sometimes I have a hard time understanding what people ask of me,” she shares. “For a long time I always responded ‘yes.’ YJC has helped me find the courage to speak up when I don’t understand a question.”
That courage and tenacity paid off: through YJC, Fatima secured a Paid Work Experience (PWE) as a pharmacy technician at Walgreens, which she excelled at. Two weeks after completing it, she was hired on permanently, accomplishing two of her primary goals (securing employment and entering the healthcare field) in one fell swoop.
“The PWE at Walgreens has helped me secure full-time employment doing something I love!” she says. “It took a while to get here, but I’m so happy!”
Fatima has made fantastic use of her experience at YJC, gathering the tools to claim a proverbial seat at the table, advocate for herself the way she advocates for others, and make use of the gifts she’s always had.
Way to go, Fatima! We’re incredibly proud of you and are honored to support your on your journey.
