Announcement
Mustafa at his new job at Ross.
Mustafa arrived in the U.S. as a refugee on the 9th of April, 2015, facing the momentous task of completely rebuilding the life he left behind when he fled Iraq. Despite holding a degree in Geology from Baghdad University, he would have to start from the beginning to find employment - from getting a driver’s license and reliable transport to learning the culture of the American workplace.
For many, the scale of this undertaking alone would be overwhelming, but Mustafa is highly motivated and wasted no time taking the first steps toward creating a successful new life for himself. He spoke English well, but enrolled in Vocational ESL courses anyway so that he could learn all he could about American work culture. He went with his Employment Specialist to all types of job fairs, and applied for a variety of entry-level jobs. He was willing to do whatever type of work was available to start getting job experience in San Diego.
Because he spoke English well and had such a positive attitude, his Employment Specialist encouraged him to apply for a guard card so that he could find work as a security guard. A few weeks later, he got his card and applied for several positions with different companies. In the meantime, he accepted a job as a part-time sales associate at Macy’s and on his first day of work, found out that he was also offered a full-time position as a security guard at a mall in El Cajon. Two months later, he accepted a third opportunity to work part-time as a loss prevention associate at Ross Dress for Less. Mustafa continued to work at all three jobs until November 2015.
Today, Mustafa is self-sufficient through his full-time security guard job and part-time job at Ross, has purchased his own car, and plans to return to college soon to study for his Master’s Degree. Having accomplished all of this in less than one year after his arrival in San Diego, we can’t wait to see where Mustafa will go from here!
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