AGE: 18
POSITION: Brand/sales associate
EMPLOYER: Old Navy
Alejandro is a teenager raised on the South Side of Chicago. He’s passionate about education and pursuing his goals, and he enjoys personal investing and fishing with friends. But despite his passion and drive, he found himself struggling to secure a job. So he came to YJC.
At YJC, Alejandro participated in This Way ONward, YJC’s Old Navy training program. He jumped right in and built the work-readiness skills needed to succeed in a retail position. (This included fundamentals like preparing for group interviews and learning about job responsibilities as well as soft skills like communication skills, conflict resolution, and customer service best practices.) It wasn’t long after that that Alejandro landed a job. He started as a brand/sales associate at the Chicago Ridge Old Navy store in July 2025, where he quickly learned the ropes and just two months later was named Brand Associate of the Month.
Alejandro now has a steady job that brings in regular income as well as “a great team of coworkers that feel like family now.” In addition, he shares, “I have improved in speaking to people. With This Way ONward, I’ve been given a job that is founded on having excellent customer service and requires you to always make sure the customer is in good hands. … I meet new faces every day and sometimes I have real conversations with customers.”
Alejandro is grateful for the help he’s gotten from YJC. “YJC was a total game changer for my job search,” he says. “Before, I struggled just to get an interview. Thanks to the program’s recommendation, I got an interview date almost instantly. It took the stress out of finding a job and let me focus on excelling in my new role."
And the support from YJC didn’t end once he got hired: “Working with [YJC staff member] Sara made all the questions I had before being employed less stressful. She had quick response times and helped me understand certain things about my job that I didn’t understand at first. For example, I didn’t understand how I was supposed to log in to my work day, and I asked her if she can help. Sara responded within minutes and gave me an answer that stopped all the worry I had because I couldn’t log in.”
His plan for the future is to study accounting and finance, which he’s already got a head start on: “YJC has given me a job that has me not only working for my boss but working for the customers as well to give them a good experience shopping, which resonates with being an accountant and giving your clients a good experience.”
“My future outlook is bright,” Alejandro says. “YJC got me out of my shell and gave me confidence. I used to avoid socializing, but now I enjoy engaging with customers and going the extra mile to provide great service. That client-first mindset is exactly what I'll bring to my career in accounting, ready to meet new people and deliver top-tier work."
We agree that Alejandro has a very bright future ahead of him, and look forward to continuing to support him along the way.
