A Youth Workforce Journey: Leticia
Leticia started her journey with Commonpoint Queens in 2014 as a volunteer in the Consortia for Learning & Service to Special Populations Student Mentor program (CLASSP). The CLASSP program consists of high school students who are hand-selected to work in programs serving children with special needs. Participants also take a class at Long Island University, C.W. Post campus for college credit where they learn about the development of children with certain mental disabilities, and how to interact with children who have special needs. Leticia completed the program with flying colors.
During her time with CLASSP, Leticia learned about Commonpoint Queens’ Ladders for Leaders (L4L) youth workforce program. She applied and was accepted to the program for the summer of 2015. She then applied for an internship with the Helen Dalton & Associates Law office. Leticia shared that working at Helen Dalton & Associates provided experiences that helped her confirm her desire to be a lawyer.
One of the lawyers she worked with during her internship gave her a piece of advice, “study what you enjoy and what you find useful.” Leticia shared, “That advice and the internship broadened my narrow view of my future and allowed me to visualize a totally different and obtainable future.”
In the summer of 2016, Leticia applied again to the L4L program which led her to an internship with the Queens Courier/Schneps Publications. During this opportunity, Leticia says, “I became aware of how vital networking is to have an enriching career. Being able to work in the midst of a business created and grown by such a phenomenal and powerful woman (Victoria Schneps) was a perfect work environment for me as a young woman with a bright future ahead of me.”
Equipped with new skills and broadened possibilities from her two prior internships, Leticia applied for and was accepted as an intern with New York City’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in the summers of 2017 and 2018. Although she was initially hesitant, Leticia recalls that “working with the Evidence Department was very enriching. Being able to assist the Evidence Department in sorting evidence and also being able to shadow doctors in labs allowed me to see myself in this work environment in a few years.” In her last summer with the L4L program, Leticia earned an internship with Queens Hospital.
In addition to her experiences with CLASSP and five summer internships through the Ladders for Leaders program, Leticia has been an integral part of the L4L team as a part-time staff member. Working as an administrative assistant, Leticia has provided invaluable administrative support for the program’s staff and participants. Leticia has distinguished herself as a committed and capable employee who is highly motivated and dedicated. We are confident that the skills she gained through each of her experiences with Commonpoint Queens have empowered her to be a successful leader and role model.
Leticia is attending Hunter College and will be graduating in December 2020. She is currently working at Jamaica Hospital.
