Several months ago I enrolled in the New Choices program. I came to the program with limited expectations, and I would like to share with you what I am leaving with. Every Thursday morning our small group of women would meet at the North Hills Community Outreach which is nonprofit organization located north of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County. We arrived each week with different nationalities, different ethnic backgrounds, different religious beliefs, different educations, and different skills. We came married, divorced, employed, unemployed, and just plain stuck. But when we sat down together, we found that we were all the same…we were a group of women that found themselves at a crossroad in life, and not sure which way to go. Although our life stories were vastly different, we had the world in common. As women, we innately understood one other. We understood how after years of nurturing those around us, we had in the process forgotten to nurture ourselves. With all of our energy being used to guide those close to us, we had somehow gotten lost along the way.
We met with a tremendous teacher, Nieves Stiker. Without ever even referring to a note, she gave us a wealth of knowledge. We were privileged each week to hear of her own personal life experiences, hurdles, and salvations. She would listen without judgment, and then ever so eloquently critique us. With her constant encouragement, guidance, and motivation this little group of fish out of water, now feels like they can swim again. After spending the past ten weeks with these women, I can say with conviction that an employer would be lucky to have anyone of them.
This program offers us the chance to become skilled, if not proficient in areas that many people take for granted. Teaching a 40 something year old, basic computer skills is NO EASY CHALLENGE. The computer instructors at New Choices are miracle workers with a Masters Degree in patience. On my first day of word processing I had a simple question that I didn’t dare ask, because I was convinced that I knew far less than everyone else in the class. When the woman sitting next to me raised her hand to ask that very same question, I knew that I was home. These teachers instill confidence, and have a genuine commitment to our success. They are wonderful.
We have come a long way in a short amount of time. Some of the cob webs have lifted, and New Choices has now become New Options. Anything can be obtained by believing in yourself, and allowing others to help you find your way. Then, maybe some day, we will be able to “Pay it Forward” and open the doors for women like ourselves that have lost their way. Thank you.
If you would like more information about the great work of this organization, please visit the inductory post on New Choices at Carlow or contact them at:
Phone: 412-821-9504
E-mail: CarlowCE@aol.com