Trainee Spotlight: Halima

All of the 200 young adults who enroll in Hope Builders’ training programs annually share the same goal: to gain the skills to access a quality, upwardly-mobile career. Similarly, they each have a unique pathway that’s led them to our doors, like Halima.  

At 21, Halima, is currently enrolled in Hope Builders’ Clinical Medical Assisting program. She previously worked as a fast-food employee and attended community college part-time to pursue her goal of earning a nursing degree. Her plans all changed when she learned that her father, the family’s primary breadwinner, was diagnosed with dementia. “I had to step up and focus on working full-time to help ensure my family could stay afloat,” she said.  

She took on additional hours at work but had difficulty attending classes at the same time. 

“I struggled with time management and watching my mother’s mental health decline due to having to take care of my father as his condition got progressively worse.” 

She was promoted to assistant manager, but her hourly wage was capped at $16.50. She longed for a position where she could earn enough to support her family and continue to learn and grow. She researched different trade schools and was astonished by their expense. She began to lose hope. 

She came across a posting for Hope Builders on Indeed.com and was amazed to learn that she could receive training to become a medical assistant at no cost to her. What she didn’t realize at the time was that in addition to job training, she would also receive soft skills training, career readiness support, weekly one-on-one support from a case manager and more. 

“I can honestly say that Hope Builders has changed my life for the better. I’ve learned how to manage my time more effectively and know now that time is about respecting others and myself. I’ve learned how to arrive at school on time and prioritize my homework and tasks. I’ve also learned how to conduct myself in a professional environment and respond effectively in a job interview,” Halima shared. 

Her newfound skills are also helping her to better caretake for her father – by extending patience and empathy—all while driving one hour to and from class every day! 

Halima remains on track to complete training over the next few weeks and will then move on to her 4-week externship at a local community clinic or doctor’s office before launching her job search in August with the support of Hope Builders Career Connections (HBCC) – the agency’s social enterprise staffing agency. 

Thank you to all of our supporters who help make our services available to Halima and her classmates – we couldn’t do it without you.