BHTYC
Boyle Heights Technology YouthSource Center
Youth Success Stories
Alfonso migrated to the United States at the age of three. He recalls struggling with English and overall assimilation into a new environment. Things began to change for Alfonso by the time he entered high school. His grades improved and he began to thrive. His world, however, was turned upside down when his father became unemployed and his family was forced to abandon their apartment. They moved backed to Mexico, where Alfonso took up a job to help make ends meet, while sacrificing his education.
After a year in Mexico, Alfonso’s family decided to return to restart their lives. They settled in the community of Boyle Heights. His father struggled to find employment and a place to live. Thus, Alfonso lived out of his father’s truck, eating whatever warm meals his aunt and their family could afford. During his struggles, Alfonso enrolled in our LA Reconnections Careeer Academy (LARCA) program with the goal of receiving his high school diploma and entering a career in health care.
Despite all of his challenges, Alfonso graduated from our onsite Five Keys Charter School and received his High School Diploma. While pursuing his diploma, he concurrently enrolled at East Los Angeles Community College in the Health Information Technology Cohort (HIT) to pursue a career as a Medical Coder. To date he boasts a 3.8 GPA and is part of the honors society at ELAC for his academic achievements. Alfonso now plans on becoming a doctor one day and, and in his words, “When I become successful I am going to give back to the Tech Center for changing my life.”
Alfonso migrated to the United States at the age of three. He recalls struggling with English and overall assimilation into a new environment. Things began to change for Alfonso by the time he entered high school. His grades improved and he began to thrive. His world, however, was turned upside down when his father became unemployed and his family was forced to abandon their apartment. They moved backed to Mexico, where Alfonso took up a job to help make ends meet, while sacrificing his education.
After a year in Mexico, Alfonso’s family decided to return to restart their lives. They settled in the community of Boyle Heights. His father struggled to find employment and a place to live. Thus, Alfonso lived out of his father’s truck, eating whatever warm meals his aunt and their family could afford. During his struggles, Alfonso enrolled in our LA Reconnections Careeer Academy (LARCA) program with the goal of receiving his high school diploma and entering a career in health care.
Despite all of his challenges, Alfonso graduated from our onsite Five Keys Charter School and received his High School Diploma. While pursuing his diploma, he concurrently enrolled at East Los Angeles Community College in the Health Information Technology Cohort (HIT) to pursue a career as a Medical Coder. To date he boasts a 3.8 GPA and is part of the honors society at ELAC for his academic achievements. Alfonso now plans on becoming a doctor one day and, and in his words, “When I become successful I am going to give back to the Tech Center for changing my life.”
Lesly was introduced to our program by a friend. She told Lesly that the Boyle Heights YouthSource Center would be able to help her prepare for a better future. Lesly has faced many challenges in her life, one of those challenges being that she is deaf and communicating is very challenging. Lesly enrolled with the BHYSC and began mapping out her pathway with the assistance of her career coach. In a short span of time Lesly has completed CPR/AED certification, and is now certified! She also completed Work Readiness Certification, Financial Literacy and Customer Service skills workshops conducted by Los Angeles Trade Tech College. After attending the Innersight Experience workshop, Lesly now has a better understanding of what her future career goals are. Thanks to the collaboration between the BHYSC and the Department of Rehabilitation, Lesly is now prepared to begin her internship in June.
Lesly will be attending East Los Angeles Community College this Fall. She is beyond excited and motivated to succeed. Lesly and her mother are both extremely grateful for the services and assistance they’ve received.
“I am grateful for the WIA program because it is providing support for my daughter Lesly Garcia. Having a child with a disability isn’t easy for anyone. Finding services to assist her hasn’t been easy. I am glad that we finally found a place that is sincerely interested in helping her. Her career coach, Marie Landeros, has been very dedicated to helping her since she first met Lesly.”
- Minerva Garcia, Lesly’s mother
When Mariana Ramirez graduated from high school she was unsure of the career path she wanted to take. Mariana came to our center seeking services in employment and education. She participated in almost every program and event that was offered through the Boyle Heights Technology YouthSource Center. With the help of the case managers, Mariana was able to participate in a paid internship through the City of Los Angeles’s Recreation and Parks, where she gained valuable job skills and was placed in a leadership role planning and creating of activities to keep youth ages 6-12 engaged throughout the summer.
Mariana knew that she wanted to work with people and to help others, and after completing our programs, she set her sights on furthering her education. She attended Pasadena City College, earned two Associates degrees: one in Social and Behavioral Sciences and the other in Communication Studies. She moved to Sacramento to attend Sacramento State University, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies with a concentration in Public Relations.
Mariana returned to Los Angeles and has started an internship in a small public relations firm in West Hollywood. She hopes that through this internship she can enter the world of public relations and gain the ability to move forward in a position where her skills and education will shine through. We celebrate Mariana’s accomplishments to date and expect her to successfully move up the corporate ladder.