On March 20, the IRC in Atlanta’s Connect 2 Success (C2S) program hosted its third virtual Career Panel since the pandemic began, with the theme “Short Term Training for Long-term Careers.”
The IRC’s C2S team provides holistic support to refugee youth and young adults ages 16-24 to help them reach their long-term education and career goals through one-on-one coaching and group workshops. Our generous panelists provided key insights on the education and training required for their respective careers, benefits and challenges of their careers, their day-to-day duties at work, and how COVID-19 has impacted their work.
We were honored to have two former IRC clients return to speak to students from both the IRC’s C2S and Youth Futures high school afterschool program as part of the panel. Nai Sai Aung is a C2S program alumni who first enrolled in the program in December 2016. While in C2S, he attended the Earle C. Clements Job Corps Center in Kentucky, where he completed his high school education and obtained several vocational certificates including Office Administration and Computer Science. On his return to Atlanta, Nai received more IT training from our partner organization, Friends of Refugees. He then began working at TES USA as a Computer Technician where he was able to use his skills and training. Nai is now a Network Specialist and plans to obtain more certifications in the field.
“If you are thinking about getting into the field you should do research, be proactive, and be patient,” shared Nai. “IT is an ever-changing field and it's good for people who like to constantly learn new things.” He also explained that working in IT can be challenging as you have to learn to be independent and do a lot of research on your own to get things done. The IRC’s C2S Program Coordinator, Ms. Sharita Khatiwada, who has worked with Nai since the beginning shared, “Nai himself works very hard day and night to prove that he can do this job! We are so inspired by his spirit.”
Our second former client was Yonatan Tessema, who was part of the IRC’s Career Development program working with coordinator, Lauren Bowden, to earn his Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Yonatan—who now works as a Commercial Truck Driver—shared that having a CDL has been very worthwhile in terms of income. “Sometimes you can take your family to travel with you when the kids are not in school but most times you are on the road and don’t get to see your family so often,” Yonatan shared. “Although the first year of truck driving can be challenging, it is very much worth it.”
We were also thrilled to be joined by Patti Willingham, a Surgical Technician at Northside Hospital, who shared insight on more “behind the scenes” type roles in the medical field and discussed career pathways. Ms. Sharita shared, “We are very thankful for all the healthcare workers working in the frontlines as we battle the COVID-19 pandemic—and are especially appreciative of Ms. Patti for spending her time with us!”
Last but certainly not least, students heard from Jasmine Carr Radford, the Youth Supervisor for IRC partner organization, Worksource Dekalb, who shared about the programs and services offered at Worksource DeKalb and how young people can apply and take the first steps towards their career goals. Ms. Sharita shared, “Many IRC clients have benefitted from the programs offered by Worksource DeKalb. We currently have clients doing a paid internship with the IRC through the Worksource DeKalb Internship Program, and it was very helpful to hear that Worksource DeKalb offers funding and support for training programs related to the careers that our panelists represented!”
“IRC C2S program students and staff learned a lot from the career panel, and we are very thankful for our program alumni, partner organizations, and supporters of our organization for being on the panel and sharing your words of wisdom with us!”
To learn more about the work of the IRC in Atlanta and for information on how you can get involved with the IRC as a donor or volunteer, please contact Development Manager, Kalie Lasiter, at Kalie.Lasiter [at] Rescue.org or 678-636-8941.
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