Humans of GLISS Blog

Biridiana hadn’t worked a job before she came to GLISS. In fact, she had recently moved to the U.S. when we met her. (Yay!)

Not knowing English, or her surroundings, she was forced to learn a lot about life here, and quickly. The fear of the unknown and feeling like she was different from the people she saw walking down the streets was absolutely overwhelming at some points.

Restarting her life in America meant that Biridiana had found her first-ever job. “But how am I going to find a job when I haven’t ever worked? Will I be able to talk to anyone when I get a job? How do I even find a place needing help?” These are questions she mulled over for some time.

Biridiana decided to find some short-term work. She didn’t want to get in over her head and commit, then be let down if it didn’t work out. She marched through the doors at GLISS and met her first surprise - a recruiter who spoke Spanish!

What a relief that was to have someone to whom she could comfortably talk. The recruiter helped her through the process, and she was off to her first day of work the next day. Life started moving really quickly for Biridiana, but this was exciting and exactly what she had dreamed of!

The first day of work is nerve-wracking for most people, but especially for Biridiana. She told herself that she could absolutely make it through one day of work, and she did just that. After the day was over we followed up with her and shared the great news - SHE DID AMAZING and they wanted her to keep returning!

Biridiana gained the confidence she needed to keep going. Taking this new experience day by day helped her to stay grounded and avoid feeling overwhelmed. Slowly but surely, she started gaining new skills, and even got a driver's license!