“Thank god I came across Fresh Start again. That’s how I found the Women in Finance program: to get a better job, better pay, and then retain an attorney. That’s my goal.”
In 2019, one of a mothers’ worst nightmares came true for Edaena*. A stressful divorce from her husband brought heartbreak when the court awarded sole custody of their five-year-old daughter to her ex-husband.
“My daughter was literally taken from me.”
As part of the custody agreement, Edaena was allowed to see her daughter only during supervised visits. As a resource aid at an elementary school district, Edaena didn’t have enough income to afford the supervised visit fee, which can be very expensive.
“I needed a higher-paying job, but didn’t want to leave the school district right away because my resume would show a pattern of only working somewhere for three months before leaving.”
Through the years, Edaena’s jobs varied in title and industry. After graduating high school, she started working in a bank in a data entry position. When her bank merged with another, she lost her job. From there, her work experience included banking, real estate, and education systems.
Edaena first heard of Fresh Start in 2007 through word of mouth. She was going through a divorce from her first husband and utilized Fresh Start’s quarterly Law Day for Women event to speak with an attorney. During this time, she was also raising her two oldest children from her first marriage, who have since grown and are now working.
“I’m so proud of my oldest children because they’re independent and hard-working,” Edaena shared, beaming. “My daughter lived in Spain for a year, and my son has visited Germany and Japan. I’m so proud of them. It’s things that I wish I could have done.”
So, when Edaena was looking for new jobs in early 2025, she thought of returning to Fresh Start.
After browsing Fresh Start’s website, Edaena spotted an upcoming Women in Finance cohort beginning in July 2025 and thought it was the perfect opportunity to get back into the banking and finance field.
Edaena was thrilled to learn of her acceptance into the program and excited to refresh her finance skills. As the program progressed, she was also surprised to receive assistance from Fresh Start with writing and updating her resume, as well as brushing up on her interview skills.
“My resume was all over the place. Just the format of it. There were weird bullet points, and different fonts and sizes that weren’t coordinating.”
As the eight weeks in the program went by, Edaena felt her confidence growing and knew her time with Fresh Start was setting her on the path to success.
“I wish I had the Women in Finance program a long time ago. But it’s not how you start in life, it’s how you end. It’s been a wake-up call. I’m 59 years old. It’s game time.”
If she ever felt down, she remembered the example that she wanted to set for her younger daughter. The empowerment and confidence that Edaena embodied would trickle down and affect her daughter’s life, too.
“And for my little one, I want her to be successful, and graduate and have a career.”
Edaena found a sisterhood at Fresh Start, even carpooling every day with one of her peers. She hopes that other women come to Fresh Start and take advantage of everything offered.
“I think it’s so advantageous for us. For me, Fresh Start was a tool that helped me get employed. I think it’s great for any woman to come into this program or any of Fresh Start’s other programs to get help.”
Edaena graduated from the Women in Finance program and with her new financial knowledge, refreshed resume, and interview practice under her belt, she was hired in a full-time position with JPMorgan Chase as an Associate Banker – Bilingual!