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Elizabeth Delgado was born in Gurabo, Puerto Rico and immigrated to Chicago at the age of fifteen. As soon as she arrived, Elizabeth’s priority was to find work. During that era, jobs were scarce and especially so for new arrivals,…

Rosita Villagomez Aguirre had learned to support herself when she left home at the age of 14. With a daughter to care for, Rosita quickly began working in construction. “I grabbed a cutting blade and measuring tape and got to…

Now that performance review season is over for most companies, news about promotions and salary increases should start making the rounds soon.   Traditionally, a promotion is expected to come with a raise. But recently, some companies are beginning to offer…

Rohini Patel earned her bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University. As she entered the job market, she quickly began her career in the Information Technology industry. She says, “Engineering is process improvement which is what IT is at…

Shaun Gray’s brothers, father, and grandfather all served in the U.S. military. So, when Shaun was just 17 years old, he too quickly enlisted. “My father was in the Navy and my brothers were in the Army, so I had…

At 72 years young, Cynthia Claude Rawson, a Fort Dodge, Iowa resident, has a happy work and home life with her cat, Gracie Kitty. It wasn’t always this idyllic; Cynthia has overcome many challenges throughout her life. She discovered she…

Jessie Castaneda was born in Chicago, and raised in the city during the 1960s and 1970s. After dropping out of high school, Jessie enlisted in the U.S. Army where he found structure and drive. It was in the Army that…

Cassandra Stinson, a 34-year-old West Chicago native and mom of three, began her career in the healthcare field about 11 years ago. “My auntie was working in a direct support position, and when I found out more about what it…

“Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.” Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.*  Every day thousands of individuals make the difficult and…

David Guillen is originally from Moroleon, a small town in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. At the age of 3, his family moved to Chicago and he spent the rest of his childhood raised between the two countries. A constant…

George Drain worked at a metal engineering organization for 32 years. He was an absolute expert in shaping and forming metal! Unfortunately, the organization went out of business in early 2023 and George found himself unemployed. The very first thing…

A Veterans Career Path: From In-Person Warrior to Cyber Warrior  Mark Hopkins spent 30 years in the U.S. Army where he had about nine different roles from commander to inspector general and many in between. Mark’s very last assignment was…