“The two-week jumpstart class was perfect for me because it was a certificate I could get, and I did not have to sacrifice or quit working to go do it. I can’t work around doing this, trying to take care of the kids, and going to work. It would be too hard to do it (schooling) the traditional way.”
The first thing that Christina* noticed when she walked through Fresh Start’s doors was the wall of businesses and community members who proudly supported the organization.
“It makes me proud because I’ve worked for some of those companies. I saw National Bank of Arizona on the wall, I saw the Gila River tribe which my son is a member of and just different companies that I want to go work for.”
In 1999, Christina had just moved down to the Phoenix Valley without any job experience or transferable skills. At the time, she received help from Fresh Start with a new wardrobe and a fresh haircut, and subsequently got a job at the National Center for Enterprise Development as an office manager.
“When I first came here, having a place to come get resume help and job case management, that type of support to lead you in a good direction, to get you connected, is so helpful.”
With a secure job for Christina, and her husband’s job as a master electrician and mechanic, the duo felt like a power couple. Christina felt like they made good money, and when they couldn’t have children of their own, they focused on helping those in their community.
“We were the people that people would come to if they needed something. Our community would be like, ‘These are the people we’re going to go to, to raise our children because we can’t do it and they’re a good family.”
Christina and her husband stuck together through thick and thin. When Christina got sick and stayed in the hospital for a whole year, her husband supported her, quitting his job and staying with her each day. When she was well enough to leave, they had to start over from scratch, but because her husband was an electrician, they were back on their feet in no time. Christina never forgot the value he carried as a tradesman and the love he had for her in a time of weakness.
“I’d offer him a ride to work, and he’d say, ‘No, no I’m going to walk.’ And I’d see him walking with his tools, carrying them. He’d say, ‘Just rest, I don’t want you to have to get up. You’re not well enough yet.’ I’ll always remember that.”
Unpredictability continued to have a hand in Christina’s life, as she unexpectedly became the stand-in mother to her sister’s seven children. In 2010, her sister gave birth to a son in prison and Christina arrived at the facility on the same day to take the boy and raise him and his older siblings as her own.
With her nieces and nephews in her and her husband’s care, Christina again turned to Fresh Start to utilize its family law services to begin the official adoption process of the two younger boys.
It took two and a half years to successfully complete the adoption, but life was happy for Christina’s family.
Then tragedy struck.
“I never thought that I would be raising this many kids all by myself… I became a widow last year. I am working all the time at inconsistent hours… and now there’s not another parent at home to really rely on. Before I used to say, ‘It’s okay, your dad is going to be there.’ He’s not there anymore.”
Christina worked at a group home for children aged four to 18 years old. Her schedule was constantly changing, and her kids had to be in daycare while she was at work, or the older children had to watch the younger children if she was assigned night shifts.
“I had to think about making my life simpler. I needed a different job, but I didn’t want to take just any job. I wanted something that was at one location with consistent hours, and that paid well. I needed that stability. I needed a higher paying job now more than ever.”
She was curious about new companies and emerging industries coming to Arizona and how she could get into the career field without quitting work or going through traditional higher education.
At the same time, Christina saw an ad on Facebook for Fresh Start’s career training, specifically for semiconductors. She applied but wasn’t accepted. Undeterred, she looked on Fresh Start’s website and applied to the cable harness program and was accepted for the session beginning in June 2024.
“The two-week cable harness jumpstart class was perfect for me because it was a certificate I could get and not have to sacrifice or quit working to do it.”
Christina kept her job at the group home, cared for the seven kids under her roof, and attended all the cable harness classes. She stayed motivated with the knowledge that now was the perfect time in her life to try something new.
“I told myself, ‘Okay, you’ve got to make some sacrifices and decide what you want to do because right now is the time to do it.’ I always put everybody else first. I didn’t go to school; I took jobs just to have them. I never really took a class and then went out into the world to try and find a job relating in that field… My partner isn’t here anymore. He would be my greatest supporter and cheerleader. But now I feel like I’m proud of myself.””
She had two family members that worked at Intel for over a decade, an aunt and a nephew that she looked up to as she embarked into a new industry. She knew that even though she might initially take a pay cut to work in the cable harness industry, it would be worth it for future growth opportunities.
In the cable harness jumpstart program, Christina learned everything she needed to know for an entry level job, but she also worked on updating her resume, refreshing her interview skills, utilizing Indeed in her job search, and creating a LinkedIn profile.
“I feel like my story is good for people out there that don’t have any skills or for those that are thinking, ‘I’m at my very bottom. I don’t have any skills or family to support me. I can’t get hired at a job when I don’t know where I’m going to stay or what I’m going to eat.’ There are resources out there. You have to find a way to do it.”
As the class completed, she had one final challenge to overcome. While studying for the test, she couldn’t access the online modules due to technical difficulties. She turned to her sister’s husband who is in the field and works at Boeing. He helped refer her to similar videos on YouTube to study, and the next day Christina passed her test with a 76 – 6 points higher than required.
At the job fair, after passing her test, Christina connected with Kelly Temp Services, a company she’d worked for previously. They also had an Intel placement position available.
“I’m pinching myself that I was qualified to get a job at any of the places at the job fair… I feel excited that I have something under my belt.”
Christina regained the confidence she once had as a leader within her family and her Native American community. She took pride in encouraging her sons to look at trade careers and spoke about Fresh Start opportunities to her peers.
“In my community, I’ve let a lot of people know that I did this course with Fresh Start. A lot of people have come to me to ask where they can go and if they can go too.”
After her third journey with Fresh Start ended, Christina again recalled the people on the walls within the Fresh Start center.
“I see all these different community members that are involved with Fresh Start and me coming here, I feel like I know these people. I know their names; I can remember them. One day I could be saying, ‘I’m working at this company now, but I want to come back and volunteer at Fresh Start,’ because I’ve reached success thanks to Fresh Start.”
Christina was hired at Kelly Temp Services as an Intel Placement Level One.
“Once you do get some type of positive steppingstone in your life, you’re going to keep building, keep building yourself up, you’ll find your own again.”