21-year-old Destri describes her life before the Youth Job Center(YJC): "I went to Northern Illinois University for two years. I had to work full-time while also being a full-time student. Not having a good support system and having such a heavy financial burden on my shoulders, I was forced to drop out and move back to Chicago. Since then, I have worked daily, sometimes three jobs, to make ends meet."

Convinced there was a better way, Destri researched affordable healthcare programs, which led her to YJC. She signed up for a bouquet of support services: workforce readiness training, financial coaching and workshops, the healthcare pathway program, and one-on-one career coaching.

And her engagement with these services paid off richly. Here's what Destri's accomplished so far:

• Built a strong resume and honed her interview skills
• Earned her Phlebotomy Technician certification
• Started working toward an EKG Technician certification
• Made strides in improving her credit score, reaching her personal savings goals, and exploring investment opportunities

Her most significant accomplishment is reactivating her dream of working in the medical field. Destri describes becoming a nurse as "a goal I had years ago, but seemed to make myself believe it wasn't possible. Now I plan on starting nursing school sometime this year. YJC is helping me do that by setting me up with WIOA, which could potentially help fund me through nursing school."

Destri is grateful for the support YJC afforded her, including a brand new laptop (so she doesn't have to participate in classes via her cell phone), a bus card ("I no longer had to worry if I had enough money on my bus card to get to and from work"), and "everything I needed for class like my scrubs and CPR training."

She also raves about her career coach: "I adore Sara! From randomly checking in to see how I was doing in class to making sure I got my bus card on time, she never made me feel like I was alone in this journey. Whatever I needed, she tried her hardest to help me with it. She is exactly what I needed to succeed."

Of all the things Destri appreciates gaining from her time with YJC, confidence gets top billing. "I was so afraid to start something new. Now I know I can take it head-on. I have a better idea of the direction my life is headed and where I want it to go. Before YJC, I thought I would've been stuck in survival mode, barely making ends meet."

Destri is an excellent example of a situation many young people know well: having had what it takes all along and just needing some support to realize and activate it.