Meet Sanjida Miah, a dynamic Goodwill NYNJ leader who embarked on her professional journey with us after earning her undergraduate degree in psychology from Queens College and her Masters degree in counseling from Brooklyn College.

Sanjida joined Goodwill as Recovery Counselor for our PROS (Personalized Recovery Oriented Services) Rebound Program in June 2017. She worked in this Astoria-based program with persons living with mental health conditions who also experience other barriers.  In this role, Sanjida helped participants identify and create their own path toward achieving their life goals such as mental health recovery, new life skills, socialization, education, employment, and even housing. During her Goodwill tenure, Sanjida became a licensed mental health counselor. Recognizing Sanjida’s great work and continuous development, Goodwill promoted her to Assistant Program Director in September 2022.

On the personal side and while working at Goodwill, Sanjida experienced significant milestones. She got married and she gave birth to a child recently. Like many first-time working parents, Sanjida wondered how to balance work and family. Would she be able to take sufficient time off to spend and bond with her newborn? Would she be able to come back to work after getting organized at home?

The answer to these questions as a Goodwiller turned out to be YES! Goodwill NYNJ offers a comprehensive Paid Parental Leave Policy. This policy provides birth parents, like Sanjida, up to 20 weeks of paid parental leave and non-birth parents, up to 12  weeks of paid parental leave.

Sanjida became one of the first Goodwillers to take advantage of the new policy, launched in January of 2023. In March 2023, Sanjida welcomed her daughter and was able to be with her through August, giving her a chance to bond with her and nurture her growing family.

Multiple studies have found that paid leave improves the health of moms and babies, and more recent studies have indicated what most of us already know: paid parental leave can reduce financial stress, allow parents to focus on bonding with their child, and increase gender equality when fathers have more time to participate in child-care duties.

Sanjida is grateful for this Goodwill NYNJ benefit that made it possible for her to grow and nurture her family while continuing to serve our participants. 

But Sanjida’s Goodwill story doesn’t end there. Upon returning from her paid parental leave in August, Sanjida was promoted to Program Director of Pros Rebound! In this role, she has an even greater impact on the program participants. She is also able to coach and help her PROS team members develop their careers, including first-time Recovery Counselors starting at Goodwill, just like her a few years back!

When asked about her experience, Sanjida shared that she is passionate about breaking barriers for women of color, demonstrating that they have a rightful place in the workforce and can ascend to leadership roles. Sanjida’s story is a testament to her accomplishments and to Goodwill’s commitment to supporting employees’ professional growth and life changes. It is an example of the spirit of inclusivity, support, and empowerment that defines what it is to be a Goodwiller!

For more information about our PROS programs, click here

Consider joining Sanjida and the Goodwill NYNJ team. Check job opportunities on the Goodwill NYNJ website.