Recently Thomas Lee, the director
of Hillsides’ transitional housing and services, Youth Moving On,
shared with all staff the remarkable story of one of our residents. What
follows is Thomas’ presentation of Victor a young man who all of us are very
proud.
Just over a year ago, Victor was
an undocumented immigrant living at Optimist Homes, in need of housing and a
path that wouldn’t jeopardize his probation and the attendant likelihood of
deportation hanging over his head like the sword of Damocles. He applied to Youth Moving On (YMO) for
housing and services and was accepted because he only had six months more of
probation which would then determine his ability to obtain residency. All he had was a high school diploma and a
fire in his eye that said: “All I want is a chance.”
Victor joined the YMO program and
promptly began an internship at one of our best sites: A4 (a team sports and
athletic apparel company). While in the
internship, he improved his English, business math, and job seeking
skills. He also enrolled full-time into
Pasadena City College and started working toward his associate’s degree.
Within six months, he gained his
residency, helped co-found the Indigenous Peeple Clothing Company, and was
hired and given full employment by A4.
With all those accomplishments,
Victor didn’t stand pat. He travelled to
Le Blanc, France with YMO’s internship abroad program, saved over $8000, and
was honored by Optimist Homes, Michaela Pereira from KTLA Channel 5 Morning
News, and given a commendation by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe.
Through it all, Vic has remained humble and
hungry for more. He’s successfully
completed his first year of college and is continually looking for more
opportunities to make the most of his time at YMO.
We measure success for Victor and
all we serve when they can stand on their own, full of confidence and claim a
hopeful future.
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