Heroes of Hope Exhibit 4: The Proof is in the Placements

Welcome to Exhibit 4! , My name is Sandy, I am one of our recruiters at Hope Builders Career Connections.

This exhibit celebrates the epic moment where opportunity meets achievement. It is where all the hard work, resilience, and support comes together to create a powerful alliance to transform lives into legends. The training isn’t the end of the story. Proof is in the placement—where our trainees are launched into careers.

For Hope Builder trainees, every journey begins with a dream. — dreams of creating a better future for themselves and their families. Through hard work in training, guided mentorship, and personal growth, they transform those dreams into reality, becoming strong candidates for careers with long-term growth potential.

Meet Our Hero: Perla

Perla is one of the very first Hope Builders alumni trained almost 30 years ago. Her journey demonstrates what’s possible when opportunity is realized. Perla shares: “Hope Builders transformed my life and gave me a career I never thought possible.”

Her superpower is Resilience—the ability to keep moving forward, no matter the obstacles. It wasn’t easy though. At 18, Perla had dropped out of high school and was pregnant. Determined to give her daughter a better future and avoid the same struggles she experienced growing up she enrolled at Hope Builders.

Hope Builders gave Perla a path forward when she couldn’t see one for herself.

For Perla, this journey led to a rewarding career. Today, she is the Executive Assistant to the Office of the Co-Presidents at Rady Children’s Hospital in Orange County – a role she never imagined possible before joining Hope Builders.

Please take a moment to notice the Hope Builders Certificate of Completion displayed on the pedestal. No, it doesn’t come with a cape—but it does symbolize a heroic achievement! This certificate is more than a piece of paper—it represents determination, growth, and the beginning of a new chapter. You can also see the other members of Perla’s class. Consider the many lives forever changed.

The impact goes beyond the individual. When one life changes, entire families benefit. Stability, pride, and hope ripple outward into the community.

Perla’s daughter graduated cum laude from New York University with a degree in Computer Science. Today, she is married and a Senior Software Engineer at Google in New York City. Her son, Jesse, is studying Civil Engineering at Cal State Fullerton. Hope Builders was the foundation for the life she once dreamed of.

The Proof is in the Placement Perla is one of more than 7,500 young adults Hope Builders has transformed over our 30 years of connecting young adults to real jobs that have real impact. We’ve become a vital resource for the community. We connect employers who need trained talent with motivated and reliable trainees who need jobs in Orange County. Today you can find our alumni working at some of the area’s top medical, construction, and education employers.

They are living proof that investing in yourself, and having the right support, can change everything.

We sustain this success through our commitment to continuous improvement and innovation. Our social enterprise staffing agency, HBCC Career Connections, screens and connects graduates with employers seeking skilled, reliable talent. As a recruiter, I coach graduates for six months to support a smooth transition into the workforce, while also checking in regularly with employers to gather feedback and ensure our training equips trainees for lasting career success.

This approach ensures that opportunities aren’t just created, they are sustained.

The foundation of Hope Builders’ impact lies in:
• Preparing youth for careers in high-demand industries,
• Providing ongoing support after placement,
• And continually adapting to meet the needs of both young adults and employers.

With your mighty support, this heroic transformation continues to grow. Please consider helping Hope Builders continue to change lives. You can scan the QR code to discover ways to get involved or to support us financially.

Thank you for joining us on this epic journey—where hope is realized and lives are truly transformed.