Omar Sanchez (right) from Harper University helped Asfa Alameruda find a new job after raising a family. She attended a tutoring lab and earned her certificate at Harper. Asfa, who currently works full-time, has been promoted multiple times at work. Provided by Harper University
While her three children were growing up, Asfa Alameruda gave everything to them.
“I stayed at home with them. I took them to school, the library and the park,” said Asfa, 51, whose children are now 20, 18 and 14. . I’m very, very proud of myself. ”
When her youngest son entered high school, she decided to go back to work. Asfa, who immigrated from Sudan with her husband in 2002, has a bachelor’s degree, but without recent work experience, her career options were limited. The Arlington Heights resident took a part-time job in retail.
“I wanted to improve myself and my resume, but I didn’t know what to do. I was so lost,” she said after taking her son to soccer practice in Prospect Heights. said Asfa, who noticed Harper College’s Learning and Career Center (LCC). “My whole life changed when I walked into that building.”
She met with Workforce Career Coordinator Omar Sanchez who explained the various options available at LCC, including the opportunity to enroll in a course to earn an Administrative Assistant certification. She was able to attend classes for free by applying for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds provided by Harper’s education partner, the American Job Center in Wheeling. Asfa said Omar’s enthusiasm and support were the deciding factor in her decision to enroll.
“At first I said, ‘That’s too much,’ or ‘I’m too old,'” she recalled, expressing concerns about her English proficiency. “He kept motivating me by saying, ‘You can do it!'” And you can improve your English too! He guided me from one step to the next. ”
Path to university and career
Asfa, who has since earned a 17-credit certificate, is one of Harper’s successful College Pathways and Careers programs supported by an innovative Bridge and Transition Program grant from the Illinois Community College Commission. It’s just one thing. Launched in January 2022, Harper’s program aims to help displaced, unemployed, or underemployed adults looking to pivot their careers and improve their basic skills and digital literacy. Designed.
Years later, Paths serves hundreds of students and has become more focused on immigrants seeking training, certificates, or degrees to help further expand their career opportunities. LCC offers foundational skills tutoring labs twice a week, where beginners can find their place in math, reading comprehension, or computer literacy.
“Some people think they’re far behind, but then they realize they knew more than they thought,” Omar said of the digital skills that can be filled. said before discussing the gap. “There are a lot of people who have degrees, but they just learned how to use Windows 95, but they don’t know about Microsoft 365 or Google Docs or Sheets.”
That’s why the Paths program includes short, grant-funded workshops aimed at refreshing adult students’ skills before enrolling in certificate or degree programs. Offered by Harper Community Education and Continuing Professional Education, these sessions (ranging from two days to eight weeks) provide targeted instruction in everything from computer software and grammar to professional skills and conducting an online job search.
From a hopeless person to “the happiest person in the world”
Joanna Kmiec can easily list a huge list of free workshops and courses that inspired her to start her certification program. Born and raised in Poland and attending accounting school, Joanna came to the United States with her husband over 20 years ago. While raising her two children, she worked as an accountant for a Polish company based in Chicago.
But 18 years later, the owner sold the business and Joanna lost her job. Unemployed and unsure of what to do, she contacted local colleges. Omar called her back first. He explained LCC’s support services, connected her with learning opportunities, and, just as importantly, helped her believe in herself.
“Omar helped me with that. He was the one who convinced me to take the English exam. He guided me every step of the way,” she said. “He believed in me from the beginning, and I’m grateful for that.”
After learning more about current technology and how to approach the job market, Joanna, 46, began taking courses to enhance her existing accounting skills through Harper’s Accounting Assistant Certification Program. With funding from WIOA through Chicago’s American Job Center, she is well on her way to becoming certified next year. There’s a good reason why her progress has slowed and she’s started taking one class at a time. Because Joanna found a new job.
Joanna was hired as an accounting assistant last year thanks to the job search skills she learned in LCC’s workshops and the accounting knowledge she learned in Harper’s courses.
“When I got the job offer, I was the happiest person in the world,” Joanna recalls. “And it was a job specific to my qualifications – accounting assistant. It was a dream come true for me.”
Joanna is currently learning both in class and on the job. She said that after feeling like her world had fallen apart, the staff and faculty at Harper College helped present her with a new world of opportunity. She has found more fulfillment in her career and has carried that positive attitude into other aspects of her life.
“The kids said they were happier than when I came home from work. Everything is new and completely different,” Joanna said. “It’s never too late to learn. It doesn’t matter if you have kids or not… It’s always a good time to do something for yourself.”
Influence a generation of learners
Because Joanna’s children are teenagers, LCC offers Kids Care, a free childcare program for students, so Joanna wasn’t worried about childcare. This is one of the center’s many services, including the LCC reading room, academic counseling, and scholarship support.
Harper provided Asfa with a scholarship that helped her earn an administrative assistant certification. She said the hardest part was at the beginning of the process, when she felt nervous about taking classes with younger students who were more comfortable with technology than she was.
“I cried a lot at first. These kids are so fast at everything,” she said, later recalling the moment a younger student approached her. “One of my students was so excited to meet me. She said, ‘You give me hope.’ I knew I couldn’t stop it. ”
Omar and his colleagues are encouraged by the success of Paths to College and Career students and graduates and how the work of adult learners resonates with students of all ages.
“One of our Path students is now enrolling their children at Harper College. We are impacting a generation,” he said. “We’re also here for people who are new to this country. This is a place where we respect them and can provide more than what they need.”
Asfa, who is currently pursuing an associate’s degree, got more than what she needed from the Paths program. She has recently received multiple promotions and now works full time as a Retail Store Management Supervisor. And when she attended Harper College’s graduation ceremony in May, she was too happy to celebrate her diploma. Her children, as well as Omar, were also there for the celebration.
“I didn’t attend the graduation ceremony in Sudan and I don’t have any photos,” Asfa said. “This was my chance to wear that robe. When my name was announced… it was an amazing feeling. And I also took graduation photos with my kids. I want everyone to know what it feels like. is.”
