Client Services

“I am a single mom to three children, a set of twins, and a college student in their junior year at Arizona State University. I spent the last five years at home as a full-time parent. Upon re-entry to the workplace, I found, that despite my years of experience and education, I could not secure an interview. I spent hours on my resume and received nothing but rejection letters. I redirected my focus to completing a coding boot camp, starting the first stage of a career pivot. After completing the boot camp, I began applying for jobs and met with as many rejection letters as applications submitted. I sought help from Lisa Gutierrez at the Tempe Community Action Agency, who recommended Dress for Success Phoenix. I made an appointment, and within the day, the Suiting Team, led by Ms. Pat Torres and her team of volunteers outfitted me with a new interview suit, blouse, shoes, and even accessories to complete the look. I felt empowered and renewed in my search for a meaningful career. 

Following an hour in the boutique experience, I met with the Career Services experts Cynthia Leyva and Jackie. In their role as Job Developers, I received guidance on the next steps. Their Career Center paired me with a volunteer, an industry expert who helped me fine-tune my resume for the career path I wanted while making sure I highlighted years of experience and domain knowledge from my previous career. I received interview requests after updating my resume on multiple job sites and LinkedIn. While applying to up to ten jobs in a day, I started receiving more emails stating they had seen my resume on the jobs site and asked if I had time to interview with their company for an open position. I was invited to the Career Center’s upcoming FastTrack Event, where the workshop participants worked in groups, honing our interview skills. Through peer support and guidance from the Developers, we gained the confidence to highlight our skills, a new way of thinking for many of us, and critical to the interview process.  I stepped into my interviews with that same confidence. I had my choice of offers, including a paid internship in my future career.

In the summer, I received an acceptance to Howard University. I participated in their summer Data Science and Analytics Bridge Program in preparation for completing a Master of Science in Data Science. I was awarded a $15,000 fellowship and selected as one of the first Mastercard Data Science Scholars.  To accept the Enrollment Offer from Howard and receive the fellowship, I had only to pay the $300 Enrollment Deposit within 72 hours of nomination. The only thing standing between me and my future career was $300 and a professional headshot. I emailed Cynthia and asked if she knew of a resource to help me with the enrollment barrier. She emailed me back within the hour and said she might have a resource, and before the end of the day, Cynthia had bridged me to the EducateHER Program. They paid my enrollment deposit the following morning, well before the deadline. Without this assistance, I would have missed the deadline and opportunity. 

Today I joined the Saturday EducateHER Study Group to share that I have completed my first semester in the second summer session at Howard University. By completing the first two classes in the summer, I can take the remaining courses in two semesters, completing the Master’s Degree in an Academic Year.  Following the detrimental decision of the Supreme Court, attending a Historically Black College and University has never been more important. My children will be there to see me graduate with an Advanced Degree, the first in my family to do so. I am part of the inaugural cohort of Data Scientists to graduate from Howard University. I will be living Black History on the path to success as I join the science to mitigate climate change as a Data Scientist focused on Environmental Justice.

Thank you for all you do for the community. The impact is more than you know.”