Blog

On September 16, 2018, Roberto Reyes was told he was being watched by the Cuban government for expressing his opinions freely online. He knew what this meant, and he knew he had to leave. He had been taken prisoner for…

Jeremiah Harris’ life is anything but traditional, but he has strong roots and even stronger ambitions in the city that he loves: Chicago.  Born and raised in Chicago, dad of three, Jeremiah finished college at the age of 27 in…

From the time she was five or six years old, Chicago native D’Loren “Ren” Miller was always interested in computers. After looking for work in her adult life rather unsuccessfully, Ren participated in a career assessment to determine which industry…

For more than a decade, Eduardo Castaneda had a goal of earning certifications that would allow him to pursue a career in information technology. Like many people, though, Eduardo found it challenging and unaffordable to work and go to school…

Ryan Nelson was ready to make a career change, but was uncertain about what type of career path he would pursue. Ryan worked in in the financial trading sector for more than two decades, but the industry declined and he…

Clarence Carter relocated to Chicago from Indiana early last year. He faced several challenges upon moving to a new city – the first was finding a job, and the second was finding a place to live. Upon his arrival, Clarence…

Monique Huggins worked in various jobs in the finance industry before finding herself unemployed and in need of a new career path. Monique has always been interested in technology and knew that this was the perfect time to train for…

While working as a licensed benefits advisor, Camille Cross received an email that would change the course of her career. “I received an email about [IT Career Lab’s] Cisco certifications and as long as I could remember technology has always…

Fernando Escalente was born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico and moved to Chicago at a young age. His family has a long linage of working professionals in both business and education. With these genes, Fernando, from a young age, began…

Victor Bosque worked as a mechanical repair technician since he was 16 years old. As a technician, Victor had many responsibilities ranging across four states (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin), which caused him to drive up to four thousand miles…