Client Profile: Santa Taveras

• Services Provided: Civics & English Classes
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Age: 41
• Borough / Neighborhood: South Bronx, NY
• Occupation: Home Attendant & single mother of four

" I want to learn English to help my children and to understand them when they speak... I want to be able to help my daughter with her homework... I worry that if I can't help her with her work, she will not advance as quickly as she should in school...after taking classes here, I can speak more English and fend for myself better in life...my kids feel very proud of me, they tell me, 'it's never too late,' I am a role model for them...when I learn more English, I'm going to take the GED exam to improve my situation in life."

"If I didn't have these classes I wouldn't know anything...teachers here explain things to me and it helps me to help my daughter more...I feel like I'm doing something important... before, I didn't do anything and I felt bad about myself...now, I'm studying and I feel like a better person."

Client Profile: Abel

• Services Provided: DACA Renewal
• Country of Origin: Guatemala
• Age: 31

"I was 11 years old [when I came to the US] and I remember not wanting to come. As I was on the plane I thought it was a vacation and that I would be back to Guatemala, but then we ended up staying. That was 20 years [ago and] there isn't much that I remember [about Guatemala]. I realized I was undocumented in high school when my friends were able to travel out of the country but I wasn't. I recall asking my family why I wasn't able to do that and they let me know that if I left that I wouldn't be able to come back into the country.

There's Mexican song that goes "The US is a like a prison made out of gold." All these opportunities that we are not able to get or take part in. Regardless of that, I was able to graduate from high school and get accepted into college. I majored in Bilingual Childhood Education at LaGuardia Community College. I have taken a short break and have plans to return soon. A lot of US citizens assume that we don't contribute financially, without knowing all of the facts. I am currently working as a truck driver [and] "I hope to go back to school and complete my associates in Bilingual Childhood Education. I have about a year and a half to go. [In the longterm] I would like to be able to buy a house. [DACA ending makes me] afraid that the government will take everything [I worked for] away.

Client Profile: John Espinoza

• Services Provided: OSHA-10

"For me, this card means so much because I acquired a lot of experience that I did not have before. They gave me instructions on how to climb ladders, how to use the materials, scaffolding, and many other things I did not know about. I am very thankful for everthing that they taught me."