Announcement
Career Pathways program graduates joined forces in a Saturday workshop where they gave advice to newly-arrived refugees and shared their experiences with the IRC.
Chizoma, a Career Pathways program graduate, fled her home in Nigeria in 2012 after her brother was killed. No longer feeling safe in her home country she applied for asylum in California. A successful attorney back home, Chizoma applied for many jobs in the U.S., but was turned away being told she was overqualified. Eventually she found a job as a home care aid, but was eager to pursue her passion for law. Upon searching for resources, she found the Career Pathways program. With the help of the IRC in Sacramento, Chizoma found a job in her chosen field within six months – something she hadn’t been able to do in the four years she had been in the United States.
The Career Pathways program provides tailored professional training in a variety of job sectors and helps prepare clients for interviews and employment. Clients voiced there were major differences between work culture in their home countries and in the U.S., but the training they received during their time with the IRC helped them develop skills to be competitive candidates and pursue their passions.
Chizoma and other program graduates feel lucky to be living in Sacramento and are especially grateful to have found the IRC. They advise future participants in the program to be patient and motivated in order to be successful. Congratulations to our program graduates in securing jobs in their desired fields!
