AGE: 24
POSITION: OB Technician
EMPLOYER: Swedish Hospital
“I grew up on the west side of Chicago around poverty and violence. Early on I knew I wanted to be more than a statistic and follow my dreams of a career in the healthcare field.” These are the words of Jekireya, our driven and remarkable client of the month.
Right after graduating from high school, Jekireya enrolled in community college, knocking out prerequisites for a nursing program, but she lost focus after a year or so and shifted her attention to working. In her words, “It was about four years later [that] I finally got tired of working dead-end jobs and told myself, Hey you need to get back to the dreams you had for yourself.” Jekireya put her desires into action and signed up with Youth Job Center.
At YJC, Jekireya got valuable information about the working world that she hadn’t had access to before. She learned about resumes—“A lot of times we have GOOD stuff on the resume, but something as simple as how you type and the layout of your resume can throw a potential job off.”—and participated in mock interviews—“I swear that mock interview was the best thing ever created!”
Her absolute favorite part of being in YJC, however, was having a support system. “I think that is big for a lot of people who have no one but themselves rooting for them!” she shares. “Whether it’s a phone call or text checking in, it’s greatly appreciated. Support can go a long way towards success.”
Jekireya is especially enthusiastic about her two career coaches: “They have been absolutely AMAZING!!! … Even when I ask them for things YJC doesn’t provide or are not related to my long-term goals, they go and research other means for me to get support. I'm excited to keep working with them towards my long-term goals.”
Those goals include completing nursing school and becoming a neonatal nurse. Jekireya is now well on her way. Since joining YJC, she’s earned her CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) certification through Chicago Community Learning Center and begun working as a labor and delivery technician at NorthShore’s Swedish Hospital, where she assists with procedures like C-sections and mom-and-baby aftercare. Jekireya’s forging a bright future for herself, and we’re thrilled to help her do it!
Jekireya, congratulations on taking the reins and creating so much positive momentum for yourself! We can’t wait to see how far you’ll go.
