In 2018, Patrick Baah made a life-changing move that spanned over 5,500 miles. He joined his wife and family in Chicago from Ghana in West Africa. As a skilled geologist with years of experience in Ghana, Patrick pursued a career…

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…

Steven Scholtes had always dreamed of working in the information technology (IT) industry, but for years he worked in the retail and restaurant industries to get by. That didn’t last. “I had a job dishwashing and cooking in a restaurant,…

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…

David Hilo began his professional career in the restaurant industry – a world he knew well since working at his family’s restaurant while young. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Culinary Arts Certificate from Le Cordon Bleu,…