Success Story - Success Stories

My name is Alethea Pritchard, and I would like to tell you my story. Specifically, I’d like to tell you where I’ve been and what I’ve gained through the state-funded young adult outreach initiative at LWIA6/workNet DuPage.
In December 2024, I graduated with my bachelor's in psychology and neuroscience. I still remember how the exhaustion from the marathon that was my senior year swirled with the anxious excitement to hear back from my grad school applications. It was always my dream to be a PhD candidate in clinical psychology. Sadly, like many researchers, the unprecedented funding cuts to health care, science, and education that winter left me in free fall. Many of the programs I had applied for were defunded. But I was lucky. I secured a job as a clinical research coordinator at a nearby clinic and research institute.
The work was intense at the clinic, but I loved having the privilege to prioritize participant voices in a field of medicine that is so often neglected. It is that same passion for advocacy, however, that caused me to leave the position. Once it became clear that some ethical concerns that I had reported were not going to be addressed, I walked away from what was, in my eyes at the time, my last chance at working in research.
Over the following months, I was able to get a job at the DuPage Children's Museum, which I continue to enjoy thoroughly. But the fact that I wasn’t where I had expected to be weighed heavily on me. Then I learned about workNet DuPage. A few more months and workshops later, I was offered the program coordinator position at workNet for their state-funded social media internship. Our purpose in offering said internship is to help young adults (ages 17-24) take the next step by raising awareness of resources, local employers, and lesser-known career paths. Thanks to the 26-071006 grant funding, not only are my skills being recognized and put to use, but I’m also being stretched and developed in ways I’ve never been before. My background knowledge is constantly being integrated with what I’m learning every day as a lead intern. Though I’ve been in leadership roles before, I’ve never delegated tasks at this level, nor have I ever organized the schedules and training of five very different people all at the same time. I was ecstatic to gain firsthand experience initiating partnerships with local businesses, strategizing timelines, and documenting everything in detailed narrative reports. With the freedom to organize as I see fit, I’ve found I'm quite good at logistics and data analytics. The skills and connections I am currently gaining here at workNet far outweigh their value on a resume. As I get to know myself and each coworker better, I get a clearer picture of my vocation as a whole.
We went into this initiative with rather broad expectations, since this is all so new. And with our NxtGenDuPage brand launched, a consistent posting schedule in place, and high-tech equipment used, all with multiple filming visits under our belts, I think it’s safe to say the results have already been more than we imagined. What an honor it is to learn from these young people as we expand our outreach to kids just like us who are fighting their way through this job market.