Tools help refugee secure a good job

Saint's Place Executive Director Isabel Miller congratulates Hamidullah on receiving a full set of tools for a job as an automotive technician. Hamidullah is from Afghanistan, and he'll now be able to provide a better future for his family. 

Mamadou Barry, age 19, from Guinea, had to flee his country because he was arrested at age 13 when he was near a protest. He escaped and left the country with an adult family friend. He traveled to South America and then to Mexico, in the end, by himself because the friend died in an accident, before arriving in Henrietta. 

Mamadou is currently a senior at Rush-Henrietta High School. He’s been accepted to Alfred State college and plans to become an electrician, and perhaps an electrical engineer if he continues. Saint’s Place awarded Mamadou a new laptop computer to use in continuing his studies.  

The high school principal wrote a glowing recommendation about the positive impact Mamadou has had on the school community. Through the Diversity Club, he has been a leader in helping students transition to high school. Mamadou received All-League honors as a member of the indoor track team and earned an opportunity to compete in the New York State Championships. 

He has tutored middle-school students in math, reading and soccer. 

Mamadou’s principal wrote, “It is truly amazing to experience the way he impacts our community of learners…Mamadou has done all of this while demonstrating strong performance in course work and taking advantage of opportunities throughout his high school years.”

Mamadou intends to provide financial support to his family in Guinea. He currently lives with his uncle and five cousins.

When refugees complete the Automotive Technician Program at OACES, it's vital that they have the necessary tools in order to get jobs, so Saint's Place provides tools as part of our educational initiative. Recently, these four men from Afghanistan finished the program and are now fully employed. Ahmad, Amirjan, Tawfiq and Shamsull were delighted to get the boxes of tools. They arrived in Rochester in the fall of 2021.

Vira, far left,  arrived from Ukraine in May 2022. Saint's Place has given her a laptop to help her improve her English language skills. Vira is trained as a nurse. Saint's Place Advisory Board member Beth Messner presented the laptop to Vira. 

Saint's Place has a strong relationship with OACES, the Office of Adult Education and Career Services, a division of the Rochester City School District. Saint's Place has provided scholarship money for students to study culinary arts and automotive technologies, learn electrical skills and more. Recently Saint's Place Executive Director Isabel Miller presented nine Chromebooks to OACES staff member Hannah May for students to use for their studies. 

Julia Kozak, a lawyer who fled Ukraine with her husband and son, receives a Dell computer from Saint's Place Executive Director Isabel Miller. 

Kozak will be taking classes at Monroe Community College to improve her English skills. She hopes to practice law in the United States in the future.   

We wish Julia our best in her endeavors! 

Congratulations to Amanullah and Mohammad who both received tool grant scholarships from Saint’s Place! 

Amanullah arrived in Rochester in April with his wife and two children. They had fled Afghanistan and were sent to Qatar until they were able to come to Rochester. Amanullah worked with the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan as an electrician.

Mohammad is also from Afghanistan and arrived in May after spending months in Qatar. He worked as an electrician in Afghanistan with the U.S. Embassy and military.

Both men have been hired full-time by a local electrical contracting company, and Saint’s Place worked with their current employer to determine the tools they need to be successful at their new jobs. Congratulations Amanullah and Mohammad on your success, and welcome to Rochester!  

Congratulations to Yosra on her Saint’s Place laptop scholarship! Yosra is a refugee from Syria and is learning English through an ESL program at OACES in Rochester. She arrived in the United States nine months ago and has had perfect attendance in her classes. She asked for a laptop so she could continue to study English in the evenings while her children are sleeping. Yosra would like to study to become a dental assistant. She is a lovely woman, and we wish her the very best with her studies!

Congratulations to Nishita on receiving a new laptop computer from Saint's Place! Nishita graduated in 2022 from Greece Athena High School and is from India/Nepal. She came to the U.S. in 2016 when she was 13 years old. Nishita would like to become a nurse, and she is attending Monroe Community College this fall. Only her mother and sisters were able to immigrate to the U.S. Her father is still in Nepal. We wish Nishita the best with her studies this fall!

Congratulations to Pradeep, who recently graduated from Greece Athena High School and received a new laptop computer from Saint's Place! Pradeep is from Nepal and has lived in the U.S. for several years. He would like to study computer science in the fall at Monroe Community College. Pradeep spent most of his life living in a refugee camp. While in the camp, his father was able to get a job as a mechanic, but he would have to travel 40-50 minutes out of camp on foot just to make a dollar or two a week. His family learned three languages as they moved from Bhutan to Nepal and finally to the U.S. We wish Pradeep a very bright future! Pradeep is shown with his ESL teacher, Marie Wilson.

Congratulations to Malina for receiving a Dell Inspiron laptop from the Saint's Place Refugee Educational Initiative! Malina is from Afghanistan and arrived in the U.S. in 2019. She attended Rochester International Academy for six months and Rush-Henrietta High School for two years. Malina received the most glowing recommendation from her teachers and we are exciting to see what the future holds for her. She is attending MCC in the fall to study nursing. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Nirpa for completing his Automotive Technology Vocational Program at OACES. Six months ago, Saint's Place awarded Nirpa a $6,000 scholarship to cover the entire cost of his vocational classes. The update below is from his teacher.

"Nirpa entered the Automotive technology program in September of 2021. Nirpa chose to enter into this program due to his high level of interest in automobiles and to pursue a career that would give him more satisfaction than he previously had in other jobs. Nirpa expressed a keen desire to acquire the necessary skills to be successful in his newly chosen career field. Throughout his tenure in the program, Nirpa acquired many of the essential skills and competencies that are necessary for an entry level automotive technician. 

"Nirpa is currently applying for a position as an entry level technician at area dealerships. Nirpa’s enthusiasm for this career field has been outstanding and his willingness to engage in all aspects of the class has been an example to his classmates. Nirpa will be a valuable asset to his new employer and a stellar representative of the type of students that OACES produces in our training programs. I am proud to provide references for him and help him get started on his way."

Congratulations to Hamidullah for graduating from the OACES Vocational Program for Electricians! Six months ago, Saint's Place awarded Hamidullah a $6,000 scholarship to cover the entire cost of his vocational program through OACES. We are so pleased to see these students not only graduate, but secure good employment that will allow them to support their families. This update is from his teacher: 

"Hamidullah entered the Electrical program at OACES in September of 2021. He joined the program, as he wanted to provide a better life for his family. During his time in the program he acquired his Level I (Residential) and Level II certificates along with obtaining an OSHA 10-hour safety awareness card for the construction industry. Along with obtaining these credentials, Hamidullah also acquired many skillsets such as leadership that allowed him to grow to a prime candidate for employment. In March of 2022 Hamidullah received a job offer with Mark IV Enterprises as an electrician. On March 19, he completed the program and now has all the fundamental skills to start his career in the electrical industry. As his teacher, I see a bright future for this individual and I am honored to have had him in the program!"

Six months ago, Olga applied to our Saint's Place Scholarship program and was awarded a full-tuition vocational scholarship of $6,000 to attend the culinary program through OACES. After her recent completion of her program, she was able to secure a full-time job with benefits! This update is from her teacher: "Olga entered the OACES Culinary program in September of 2021. She entered the program because she wanted to learn the necessary skills to get a job at Wegmans. She lives close by a Wegmans store and had observed the cooks in the store. She decided that working there would be her goal and first job in the United States since immigrating here from Russia.

Olga was an exemplary student at OACES. She had perfect attendance through 107 days of class. She earned at 94.4 test average of 38 tests. Also, Olga earned her Serve Safe certificate, completed 80 on line rouxbe.com cooking lessons and quizzes, and completed 11 rouxbe.com courses for certification.

"Another facet of her training was to improve her English. Olga applied herself daily and improved 4 levels in her English while in the culinary program. In addition, she developed a job portfolio which included a resume, among other things, and practiced how to interview for a job. 

Olga was able to master the basics in knife skills, food preparation, and all the cooking techniques. She was attentive, responsible, and learned quickly in the kitchen.

"During the last month in the program, Olga applied to Wegmans. She did well in two interviews and was hired at the Irondequoit store, which is the same one that she dreamed of working in.”  

Congratulations to Hares on receiving a laptop computer scholarship from Saint's Palace! Hares is from Afghanistan and arrived in the United States in October of 2021. He was a civil engineer in Afghanistan and had a job with a non-government organization with a family welfare focus. He would like to attend college in the United States and now he will be able to apply for schools and take classes online with his new computer. We wish Hares the very best with his future here in Rochester!

Congratulations to Nicole on her Saint's Place laptop Scholarship! Nicole came to the United States from Nigeria in October of 2021 and is enrolled as a senior in high school in Greece. She wants to study computer science in college to work with technologies that benefit our developing world. She also wants to be able to help her family who are still in Nigeria. Nicole is an excellent student with a bright future ahead of her! She is pictured with her College & Career Coordinator, Tamara Clifford, and her Principal, David Hoffman, who are working with Nicole to make those goals a reality.

Congratulations to Shurooq who received a laptop from our Saint’s Place Educational Fund! Shurooq is from Iraq and was using her husband’s cell phone to attend her online English as a second language classes. Her husband recently secured a job, so Shurooq could no longer use the cell phone for class. Shurooq has two children, one who has significant medical disabilities, so she needs to be at home but still be able to attend her classes. We hope this laptop makes being a student a little easier for her. We welcome Shurooq and her family to our Rochester community!  

Congratulations to Ola who received a laptop computer from the Saint's Place Educational Scholarship Fund! Ola is a refugee from Syria who arrived in the United States four years ago. She is currently taking classes in English as a second language at OACES (Office of Adult and Career Education Services).  Ola is also an active member of MAC (Making a Change) Academy, which is part of OACES. In the future, Ola would like to attend Monroe Community College. We wish Ola the best in her studies!