Unique Kimbrough worked in many jobs throughout her life including cleaning, concessions, and customer service. Although she had a strong set of soft skills and experience at the age of 26, she had yet to feel strongly about solidifying a…

Queenster Dwumah successfully entered the workforce as a barista and a bartender in the hospitality industry. She initially found the work challenging and rewarding, especially as she fine-tuned her soft skills while managing interactions with all kinds of customers. However,…

In 2021, after a successful 25-year career as a courier at FedEx, Tony Guillen had the opportunity to pursue something new and different. Tony says, “I wanted to go back to school. I just didn’t know what for yet.” Tony…

Three years ago, Daniela William migrated to Chicago from Israel. She says, “I came on a trip with my mom, and I thought ‘It’s a gorgeous city. I love Chicago. So now I’m going to stay here!’” Her education and…

Raised in the historically industrial town of Franklin Park, Jonathan Sutter began preparing for a career in manufacturing while still in high school. Upon graduation, there weren’t many jobs in the industry. So, Jonthan quickly pivoted and entered the trade…

When Keith Tody began looking for employment at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic he attended a fair at Truman College on Chicago’s north side. There, he met Elliott Esparza from National Able Network (Able), who told Keith about IT…

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, commemorates the day the last enslaved African Americans in the U.S. became free. This holiday has been celebrated for 155 years by the Black community, although recent events have brought the true importance of…

As an educator in her native Pakistan, Saira Mirza had a wonderful career where she helped children gain digital literacy skills. “Children would love coming to my computer class!” recalls Saira. In 2002, Saira moved from Pakistan to Garfield, Minnesota…

Marse Visnevac was pursuing his bachelor’s degree in information technology when he heard about National Able Network’s IT Career Lab program. Marse was very eager to fulfill his career goals, and after attending an information session to learn more about…

John Childs earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology with an emphasis in Network Management. He was able to land work by freelancing for small businesses to fix computers and other electronics, but John also worked a second job at…