“I was having a birthday party at Bonnie and Clyde’s. Gladys was in the corner and smiled. She has a beautiful smile. I asked my friend Vicki ‘who’s that?’ She said ‘you don’t want to know her because she doesn’t speak English.’ I left it at that. I was more interested in my party.
"I grew up with strong family values and the great examples of my mother and my brother. I’ve encountered the violence that any child may experience while living in a poor neighborhood in the capital of Venezuela.
My family has a long-term appreciation for Queens Community House's (QCH) presence in Forest Hills; our now teenaged daughter had been enrolled in the QCH Early Childhood Center.
Applying to college in 2018 was one of the best decisions of my life because it led me to intern for QCH's Case Management Department and meet Ms. Blanca Goris, the best role model in the social work field.
When I was in middle school, my mom told me about a program that she felt my cousin and I should join to gain more experience. I was skeptical at first, but after my first Access for Young Women (AFYW) session, I've been a participant since!
As I was exploring my options during COVID, one of my past supervisors contacted me about the Queens Connect Culinary Arts program at QCH. I was excited about the idea to expand my knowledge of cooking and the food industry.
In 1975, my family of four could not afford a two-bedroom apartment on our income, so we were so excited when we received a letter stating that we were eligible to live in the Forest Hills Coop.
