Myhanh Lopes had to decide between completing high school and working to support herself and her new baby when she was just 17 years old. Her family was her choice.
Lopes, 54, of Pittsburg, began working in retail after graduating from high school and has been there for almost 30 years. However, it was a hard work that frequently cost her valuable family time. She therefore looked to expand her skill set and get a profession that would allow her to work more efficiently during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She stated of herself and her then-boyfriend, who is now her husband, and the three children they had raised, “We had to grow up quickly and figure things out to get by.” In a way, I developed alongside the business, but I also gave up attending my young children’s birthday celebrations and being able to accompany them to after-school sports.
Lopes signed up for an Administrative Careers Training, or ACT, program with Opportunity Junction, a nonprofit organization that offers motivated job seekers in Contra Costa County training, support, work experience, and placement aid in the fields of health care and office administration. It assists people with systemic and personal job hurdles in starting careers that result in stable incomes.
As vice president of development at Opportunity Junction since 2019, Alexis Bonn stated, “We have individualized case management and have a staff member working specifically with each individual that comes through our program.” Thus, they are fully aware of any particular situations at home or other difficulties that require assistance.
Through the East Bay Times annual Share the Spirit program, which runs from November to January, Opportunity Junction hopes to raise $30,000 to support its Contra Costa County residents and their families.
Additionally, the funds will help its ACT, Medical Assistant, and Certified Nursing Assistant program participants and alumni through the difficult and costly holiday season. Opportunity Junction will use the cash to distribute 270 gift cards ($50 each) to students and alumni to purchase food and other necessities for the December holiday season, as well as to give 50 students and in-need alumni Thanksgiving turkeys and baskets filled with essentials for a family feast.
The remaining money will be used to provide paid work experience to ACT participants as well as extra assistance including rental assistance, phone or internet bill assistance, and transportation subsidies.
According to Bonn, Opportunity Junction is special because it treats each person as a whole, shows concern for them, and provides them with all-encompassing support. Opportunity Junction assists program participants pay a bill or obtain a bus pass in the event that their automobile breaks down so they can attend to class. Opportunity Junction offers wraparound support to everyone who lacks a car or other means of transportation.
According to Bonn, we work to assist in removing those obstacles so that students may concentrate on the program, succeed there, and get the knowledge they require.
Returning to an educational environment was an emotional experience that brought up painful memories for Lopes, as leaving the school as a teenager marked the sudden end of her youth.
According to Lopes, it was challenging because we had schoolwork at night. I am among the elderly. We took a typing test, and I’m not typing fast enough.
Lopes found it difficult to compose an essay and to finish the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint trainings.
However, according to Bonn, she constantly goes above and beyond. According to her, Lopes was able to apply her education and learn the digital skills she had acquired while working in retail. She might now take those to the next level and become a professional administrator through Opportunity Junction’s program.
As a program specialist with SHELTER, Inc., another organization, Lopes now applies her newly acquired abilities to help veterans and their families avoid homelessness and find shelter. She is certain that her father, who served in the military, would have been pleased with her.
According to Bonn, “we love to see people who are passionate about nonprofit work come through.” She is an excellent illustration of someone who entered our program and pursued a career she is passionate about.
Lopes put in so much effort that she was awarded a paid internship as a teacher’s assistant, a distinction that is only granted to one student every class. Lopes’s previous instructor in the program, Natalie Georgia, recalled her as a focused and hardworking learner.
Georgia claimed that despite the fact that it wasn’t always easy, she was committed to making sure she completed everything. I was teaching the Essential Skills section at the time. People sometimes enter the program without thinking they need the fundamental skills—both practical and intangible professional development skills—but at the conclusion, they realize they need both to succeed fully.
As most students do, Lopes entered the program a little nervous, but at the end of the session, Georgia said she was a rock star.
Georgia claimed that Myhanh was always the one keeping up with everyone. A large part of that, in my opinion, was because she was so responsible and sort of made sure that no one was left behind.
Lopes earned the Microsoft Office certification after putting a lot of effort into the ACT program.
“This program has taught me so much about using computers,” Lopes remarked. She continues to return to Opportunity Junction to assist other program participants.
Georgia stated, “I know she’s doing exactly the same thing even in her current organization.” She enjoys sharing anything positive that she comes across.
Lopes highlighted the value of inner strength and self-belief for women in challenging situations, such as her own at the age of 17, who must choose between personal aspirations and family obligations, particularly when making important life decisions like having a child.
According to Lopes, it’s never too late to attempt something new.
She claimed that learning computer skills through Opportunity Junction increased her confidence because she had no computer knowledge prior to enrolling in the ACT program. She was allowed to help classmates with their tasks and serve as a teaching assistant for the new ACT program.
According to Lopes, you must have faith in yourself and search within for your inner strength. Proceed with your decision, whatever it may be.
The East Bay Times, The Mercury News, and Bay Area News Group run the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Share the Spirit, which raises funds for charitable causes in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties to give East Bay citizens hope, relief, and opportunities.
Opportunity Junction will be able to support 350 residents and their families in Contra Costa County with the help of donations. The group wants to give 270 $50 Christmas gift cards and 50 Thanksgiving lunches to students. The remaining funds will support individual financial assistance for program graduates through rental assistance, phone and internet bill assistance, and transportation subsidies.
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