Kenyetta left home at age 17. She married young and operated two restaurants with her husband, but when her marriage ended she didn’t want to look back. “I didn’t ever want to have to call my ex-husband for a reference, so I left my restaurant experience off my resume. It looked like I didn’t have…
At the age of 13, Chelsea was struck by a car and suffered a traumatic brain injury that left her with some psychological challenges and cognitive limitations, including working with numbers. Nevertheless, she persevered and graduated from high school on time. Then, at age 21, Chelsea suffered another serious injury while trying to break up…
Dominique had never been unemployed until last summer. For the past eight years, she has worked hard to provide for herself and her three young boys. The daughter of a pastor, Dominique felt she was not allowed to do things other kids did as a teenager. So she dropped out of school and moved out…
For more than 21 years, Jimmie served in the U.S. Army as a human resources specialist. As he contemplated his transition to civilian employment, he knew he wanted a career that would allow him to make use of his previous education and experience. “Although I knew many of the skills I had were transferable, understanding…
After losing her mother to cancer at the age of 7, Donna was left without a strong female role model in her life. Her father did his best to create a stable home life for her, but frequent moves between Washington and California forced Donna to face the challenge of making new friends and fitting…