Dunstan Wallace – Bridge to Tech Program
Dunstan Wallace, a single Black Bronx resident in his forties, had tried many jobs, but had not found the right career fit. He had worked as Maintenance and Operation Specialist with the City, but lost his job in 2022 during the pandemic. Then he ventured into the hospitality industry. He worked as customer service representative […]
Helen Mwaluko – Harlem PROS
It was a hot summer night and Helen Mwaluko was coming back home after a long day at work as a home health aide. She felt disoriented and not quite herself. She had never felt like this, so she took herself to the hospital. There she was diagnosed with severe depression and exhaustion. She would […]
Roberto Martinez – Office Clerk
Only four days after graduating from College in June 2017, Roberto joined our Advance program. In spite of having just obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at Herbert H. Lehman College, he needed help to get a job. Goodwill NYNJ meets individuals with disabilities where they are – no work experience or a college […]
Steven Tirado – Northern NJ Services
Steven Tirado is a 22-year-old bilingual Hispanic man who lives with his parents in Haledon, NJ. He was diagnosed with Autism, SLD (Specific learning disability), and Reading Impairment. Steven graduated from Passaic County Technical Institute in 2019 and is currently enrolled in a Social Services program at the Passaic County Community College. Steven came to […]
Stephanie Santana – Personalized Recovery Oriented Services
Stephanie Santana, a single Hispanic woman in her thirties, had worked for many years in the mailroom of IST Management Services, a printing, records and electronic document management company, until she injured her knee and decided to resign. Born and raised in Harlem, a neighborhood in Northern Manhattan in New York City, she had struggled […]
Maria Pizarro Flores – Peer Advocacy Leadership Program
Maria Pizarro Flores, a Bronx widow in her sixties diagnosed with major depressive, panic, and anxiety disorders, had worked as a nurse in her native Puerto Rico. She had lived in NYC for the past 38 years. Since becoming unemployed, she had lived with friends and her adult children for long periods. But she didn’t […]
Asantewa Rogers – Youth Pathways: Workforce Development
Asantewa Rogers was unemployed and homeless when she came to Goodwill NYNJ in 2022. Asantewa, a Brooklyn resident in her twenties, came to Goodwill seeking help in career planning. She had depleted her bank account so she needed guidance and support to get a job immediately. The Goodwill team assessed her skills and interests to […]
David Tifeld – Senior Champions Day Habilitation Retirement Program
After working for many years at Goodwill NYNJ, David Tifeld, a Queens man in his sixties with a moderate intellectual disability, decided to retire and enrolled in Goodwill’s Senior Champions, a Day Habilitation program, in October 2021. The Senior Champions program helps people 50+ with intellectual disabilities to remain engaged in the community and provides […]
Tamika Wilson Supported Employment Program (SEMP)
Tamika Wilson came to Goodwill after losing her job in February 2022. The Brooklyn woman in her thirties had an intellectual disability diagnosis and her only work experience included the janitorial work she had done in her previous job for five years. Needless to say, this was a difficult time full of uncertainty for Tamika. […]
Andrew Isaacs – Bridge to Technology program
Andrew Isaacs grew up in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. Andrew was approaching age forty when he joined Goodwill in 2021, but he had not yet found a career fit. He had done clerical work and had worked as a personal shopper for Amazon. He had obtained his GED and in 2001, he had […]