Growing up in South Jamaica, it was either you get a summer job or you hang out at the park all day. Even at a young age, I knew the latter wasn’t for me. When I was 16, I applied for SYEP (Summer Youth Employment Program) and landed my first job working at a QCH Summer Camp in Forest Hills.
“I came to know QCH through the Summer Youth Employment and Work, Learn & Grow programs. Through both I was able to work for a local television station.
“I graduated from SUNY Old Westbury in 2016 with a degree in media and communications. I spent some time interning at a public relations firm on Long Island while applying for jobs. QCH’s opening for a Youth Employment Specialist instantly caught my attention.
"In 1997, I applied for the Summer Youth Employment Program and was placed in QCH's Neighborhood Intergenerational Chore and Errand program. Nine years later, I applied for the secretary position at their Pomonok Community Center.