Meet Our Graduates

Amarimba had been out of the workforce for two years when she joined Grace Institute’s program. Like many others, she became unemployed in March 2020 because of COVID-19. She had been working in education, and lost her job when schools closed. A single mom living with three daughters, Amarimba was looking for a new career path. Having previously worked in healthcare, enrolling in Grace Institute allowed Amarimba to sharpen her skills and re-enter the field with broader options and a stronger resume. Amarimba also completed the Leadership & Management training program, building on the skills she was able to learn during her time at Grace Institute.

Amarimba received multiple job offers after her graduation, ultimately accepting an offer from Columbia University Medical Center as an Insurance Follow Up Specialist Level III. Amarimba is proud to provide for herself and her children, and feels empowered to continue achieving. Her next goal is to attend college and obtain a degree in business administration.

Anne, a 1964 graduate of Grace Institute, discovered the training program through her mother’s friend, whose daughter had attended. When Anne enrolled in the program, the coursework included typing, shorthand, English, and basic math – crucial skills for a basic administrative career in the mid-late 1900s. Attending Grace Institute right out of high school was common at the time, and Anne knew that the long commute from her home in Flatbush to the Upper East Side (where Grace Institute’s offices were located at the time), was worth the trip. Anne’s training at Grace led her down various different career paths. She started at Otis Elevator Company and eventually found her niche in the legal field, working at several law firms before securing a position with a federal judge. The rigorous training she received at Grace had equipped her thoroughly, making her feel at ease in the professional environment. Reflecting on her time at Grace, Anne feels immense gratitude. Years later, she has stayed in touch with her classmates, all of whom have adapted to new technologies as they moved through the workforce, evolving their skills with the changing job market – illustrating how Grace’s education prepared them for a lifetime of success.

After returning to the U.S. from Brazil, Bennie faced a challenging job market. Before her move, she had worked as an administrative assistant, but after her return, those types of jobs became harder to secure. Determined to pivot and re-enter corporate America, she found work as a home health aide and later became a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at a nursing home. However, her heart was set on a corporate role, and when a friend recommended Grace Institute, she knew it was the perfect opportunity. Bennie enrolled in Grace Institute’s healthcare track. While she had over 20 years of experience, she found herself lacking knowledge of the modern job market and how to navigate it. The supportive environment at Grace gave her the tools she needed to update her skills, improve where necessary, and enrich what she already knew. After graduation, Bennie accepted a role as a Support Coordinator for the Visiting Nurse Association of New York. She coordinates back-office tasks such as handling proxies, uploading documents, and supporting nurses with paperwork like discharge forms. One of her key takeaways from Grace is the importance of being proactive, especially in interviews: “Always ask yourself, why not me? You’re interviewing them as much as they’re interviewing you. Is this job culture right for me?”

Ella was young, lacking familial support, and struggling to find stable employment when she was referred to Grace Institute through her SNAP counselor. Ella was draining her savings – entering the program with only $140 in her bank account – and needed a new direction. As a transgender woman, Ella’s family was unsupportive and disconnected. When she joined Grace Institute, she was pleasantly surprised to feel welcomed by all her classmates and instructors and treated just like everyone else. The experience was transformative. Ella was constantly surprised by the expansive training content and supportive services made available to all participants, including job search and placement support. “Every day I was learning how much I don’t know about office work,” she realized.

Ella attributed her increased sense of wellbeing to the social support and sisterhood among participants, as well as the lessons on personal finances and connections to community resources as she transitioned into the workforce. Ella accepted a role at the NYC Department of Transportation as an Administrative Assistant, a position that was offered to her before she even graduated from the program. She finds the work meaningful and plans to prepare for the city exams, which will enable her to advance to higher positions with greater responsibility and pay.

Having worked in retail for many years, Elva wanted more than just a job – they wanted a career with growth opportunities. Elva discussed options and goals with their career counselor at Henry Street Settlement, who referred them to Grace Institute. Already sociable and communicative, Elva felt comfortable with Grace Institute’s soft skills training. But having never attended college, the office technology classes were challenging for Elva, as well as balancing the training schedule with their personal life. Supported by Grace’s instructors and social worker, Elva persevered. Remaining curious, open, and finding community among the other participants was crucial to Elva’s success. Elva valued their classmates’ diversity in backgrounds, ages, and experiences – all centered around a shared goal of pursuing a life-changing career. Soon after graduation, Elva accepted an offer with Goodwill Industries as a Recruiting Specialist. In this role, they work as a recruiter for the disabled and veteran population in New York and New Jersey, applying newly-learned skills with a deep compassion for serving the underserved.

Laurie moved to New York City in 2002, hoping to pursue her dreams of becoming a fashion designer. But within months of arriving, she and her son wound up in a homeless shelter for nine months. Afterward, there was a bright period, where she found stable work. But in 2009, she was laid off. Others might wallow, but Laurie saw it as an opportunity to finally get back on the fashion track.

By 2014, finances became too strained as she and her family faced eviction from their Bushwick apartment. At the time, Laurie was attending Parsons while raising her daughter, but decided she had to drop out of school, just one semester short of finishing. Because she could not work while taking care of her daughter and attending school part-time, she has been unemployed since 2009.

Laurie was dropping her daughter off at dance school when she noticed a flyer for Grace Institute. Laurie applied to the administrative training program, where she excelled, calling it “a life-changing experience”. In addition to graduating from the program, Laurie also served on the Grace Institute’s participant advisory board, and worked as an intern with Grace for many months. Laurie is now interviewing for jobs. “I thought my skills were lagging, after being out of work for nine years,” but she is now “ready to conquer the world,” Laurie said, emphasizing the last syllable. She hopes to do that with her daughter.

Read Laurie’s full story here, as featured in the New York Times.

David and Lorraine Hendricks are generous, continued supporters of Grace Institute, and they fund a 5-year grant to support computer and technology needs of our participants. This grant is particularly meaningful to us; not only does it support the multiple cohorts of Grace graduates each year, but it comes from a Grace Institute 1959 alumna. The Hendrickses made their gift in honor of Lorraine and to celebrate their wedding anniversary!

Lorraine, daughter of Northern Irish immigrant parents, enrolled in Grace Institute in 1958. She learned stenography, typing, bookkeeping, business English, math, professional correspondence, and much more. After graduating from Grace Institute in 1959, Lorraine got a job as a secretary at Bigelow-Sanford Carpet Company, and went on to begin an impressive career in the travel industry with Aer Lingus for 23 years.

Read Lorraine’s full story here!

As a new immigrant to the United States, Lutchilla arrived in New York with over a decade of experience in office administration. But she struggled to find companies that would recognize her work history abroad as qualifying experience, and was limited to applying for lower-level positions. A family member recommended Grace Institute, and Lutchilla successfully enrolled in the Office Administration Program. As a mother of four young children, managing classwork and home life was challenging, but she maintained focus on her goals: empowering herself, gaining confidence, and streamlining her pathway to a professional career. After graduation, Lutchilla accepted a position at The Kuba Law firm as the Front Desk specialist, and has since taken on a new role as a Client Relations Specialist. Lutchilla is excited to advance her career in the legal field and aims to pursue a paralegal position. And she wants to give back to her community: “I want to make a positive impact on my community, especially for young mothers.”

When Michelle was 22 years old, she was a Personal Care Aide – an emotionally and physically taxing job that didn’t pay well. In the fall of 2019, Michelle attended a career fair where she learned about Grace Institute. She was excited that the program catered to women ages 18 to 64. As a young adult, she struggled to find young adult career programs that felt professional and businesslike. She also hoped that older women would help nurture the younger women’s skillsets – something she found to be true after joining the Grace Institute Administrative Professionals Program in January 2020.

In class, Michelle learned how to write a professional email, how to sell yourself in an interview, and how to handle sensitive and private information in a professional setting, as well as computer skills like Mail Merge and Excel. Michelle began the program with the intention of becoming a receptionist, but once enrolled, she discovered so many other roles that opened up to her and her new skills.

Michelle was set to graduate in early April, but Covid-19 forced Grace Institute’s training sites to close down, and her last week of classroom programming was condensed before the State’s March 16th closure took effect. “COVID really stopped me in my tracks…. The pandemic was overwhelming and hard to deal with. From March to June I was really struggling with my mental health. I attended a few virtual Monday Morning Meetings at Grace Institute [for job search support], but I lost hope. But then I saw my classmates getting jobs where I wanted to work, like Harlem Children’s Zone, and I started to think maybe getting a job was possible.”

Michelle found a job posting for a Youth Advocate at You Gotta Believe, an organization that specializes in finding permanent families for young adults, teens, and pre-teens in foster care. Michelle experienced foster care growing up and knew this was a role she would be passionate about. She went through three rounds of interviewing and was hired at the end of July.

“I like my job as a Youth Advocate a lot because it’s really personal to me. I work with young boys 10 to 22 years old to help them stay connected with their family. I also help organize adoption events and support parenting classes. I work with the boys to help them express their feelings and support them through activities.”

Rhodessa had been working in retail when she found herself feeling unfulfilled and eager for a career change. Searching for new opportunities, she discovered Grace Institute through a Google search. Rhodessa found the Grace Institute training to be informative and impactful – often asking for additional work, Rhodessa made the most of each lesson. Her dedication paid off, earning her the Margaret J. Murphy Award at graduation. After graduating, Rhodessa landed a position at State Farm Insurance as a licensed insurance agent.

She credits Grace Institute in helping her develop essential skills that she uses in her career today. From customer service to mastering Microsoft Word to the mock interview practice, which prepared Rhodessa for the job search process and boosted her confidence in face-to-face interviews. Rhodessa recently started her own practice as a financial representative through Northwestern Mutual to help clients achieve financial security for themselves and everyone they love.

By the time Vivinasviyanty Polanco was in college, she had lost both her parents, and despite having a bachelor’s degree in economics, she lacked the confidence to apply for office jobs, and found work as a babysitter in her neighborhood in Queens. In 2014, she met Erwin Polanco, 45. They married a year later and moved to Riverdale in the Bronx.

Vivinasviyanty stopped working when she became pregnant with their daughter, but as her daughter got older, Vivinasviyanty realized she was unfulfilled, and decided she was ready and eager to help her husband pay the bills and discover a career for herself. A friend told Vivinasviyanty about Grace Institute, and she enrolled in the fall cohort. At times Vivinasviyanty wanted to give up on her classes, but her husband supported her through the change.

In December, Vivinasviyanty celebrated two milestones: She was granted permanent residency in the United States and she graduated from Grace Institute. “I got the knowledge and skills, and increased my confidence,” she said. In May, Vivinasviyanty was hired as a teller at a bank branch near Lincoln Center, working 30 hours a week. The job came with health insurance, and she added her husband and daughter to her plan as dependents. Ms. Polanco enjoys being a working mother and said she plans to visit Indonesia with her family next summer. It will be her first trip back since she left 12 years ago.

Read Vivinasviyanty’s full story here, as published in the New York Times.