Goodwill of Greater Washington offers numerous programs in addition to the Women in Construction program that The Women’s Foundation supports.
Last Friday, I had the privilege of attending a graduation ceremony for the most recent learners in Goodwill’s Bank Skills Training Program. I left so inspired by all of the graduates and how far they had come.
Especially moving were remarks by one student in particular, Susan Jelanizada, who told the story of her path to Goodwill and a new job in banking, which began in Afghanistan.
I share her remarks here because I think they can also inspire other women and girls and demonstrate the power of the programs that support their journeys to financial independence and economic security–whether those journeys begin in Arlington or Afghanistan.
Susan says:
“… Only a few years ago, women in my homeland of Afghanistan were denied any access to education or a meaningful role in society. Women and, to some extent, men, were barred from any meaningful education or professional pursuits. Girls were not allowed to continue any form of formal education beyond age 13. Boys could only study at the ultra-conservative and extremist madrasas. My family and I were fortunate enough to have left Afghanistan and avoided the brutal realities of daily life under the extremist regime. Nonetheless, living in Pakistan was no picnic, either.
We faced many challenges living in Pakistan, including a language and some cultural barriers. However, life there offered us something that we could not get back home: access to basic education. We worked hard, and we took advantage of whatever opportunities were available.
While I count myself as one of the lucky few who has had the privilege of migrating to the United States, starting life anew has not been easy.
First, there is the culture shock. America is a place where people enjoy freedoms unheard of in my homeland. It is also a much different environment as far as the culture and norms are concerned. It was especially difficult for me as the oldest child in the family to leave my family and live all by myself for the first time. And this was not just a few miles away from home, but thousands of miles away. We value our family greatly in my culture and visit one another pretty often. Social life in Afghanistan tends to be more intimate and families tend to have close relations with one another. Furthermore, it is quite untraditional for an Afghan woman to live by herself and away from her family in Afghanistan.
However, I believe living away from my family has made me stronger and given me opportunities as well as challenges to grow and succeed in ways impossible back home.
My experiences have helped me develop a certain level of interest and appreciation for education and yearn for a brighter future; however, it was very hard for me to find the way how to do it. I was not sure how to start the new life in the United States, how to pursue my career and my goals. I didn’t know anything about the culture and environment.
I tried to apply for jobs online, but somehow I did not get a positive response. Maybe it is because I did not have work experience in the U.S., or maybe I didn’t know how to make my resume according to the job opening.
Finally, feeling disappointed and exhausted, I asked my employee specialist at the Department of Social Services of Fairfax County to let me know if there were training programs to prepare me for a job.
I had never thought about banking before coming to Goodwill, but after sharing my work experience with David, the Bank Skills Trainer, I found out that I had done all the jobs and had the skills that are needed in a bank for a teller.
I was so impressed by the service and training I received from Goodwill.
It has helped me to achieve my goals and start my new career in banking. At Goodwill, we have learned about banking terminology and jargon.
Besides this, David helped us in making our resumes and prepared us for interviews.
I personally really liked the practice interview part where we really received constructive feedback from the recruiters. The practice prepared me to pass the real interview at the job fair and, luckily, I received an offer to work with Bank of America on the day of the job fair.
I count myself a successful person because I have never given up in life, despite all the ups and downs. I always believed in myself and knew that ‘I can do it.’ I am happy and proud to have been part of this class where I got to know all the wonderful people who are graduating today, as well as the volunteers from so many banks.
In closing, I would like to thank Goodwill for providing such training programs that help people start their careers. Thank you to David for being so nice and helpful with all of us and thanks to Valerie for helping us and providing us extra support.
Thanks to all of the Goodwill team for giving us a chance to achieve our career goals.
Gwen Rubinstein is a program officer at The Women’s Foundation.
