“It’s never too late and there is hope for all of us. You have the permission to not only be who you are but continue to grow and expand.”
Maribel* spent more than 30 years building a career in finance, but then she was laid off. With her career trajectory disrupted, Maribel took the opportunity to ask herself: what did she truly want to do next?
She started where most people do after a layoff, at the unemployment office.
Maribel had been researching the semiconductor industry, drawn by its complexity, growth, and the pull of something entirely new. She asked the office about opportunities at TSMC, a semiconductor company with a campus site in North Phoenix. The answer she received wasn’t very encouraging, so she left disappointed.
On Maribels way back to her car, a flyer caught her eye. She picked it up, tucked it away, and took it home.
That night she researched the non-profit from the flyer: Fresh Start.
“I went on the Fresh Start website and was like, ‘Wow, they’re offering a program for this industry that I was looking into.’ I couldn’t believe it,” said Maribel.
The layoff created an unexpected pause in Maribel’s life, and in that pause, she took an honest inventory of where she’d been and where she wanted to go. She felt she had a full, meaningful run in the financial industry, and she’d accomplished everything she wanted.
“When I was laid off, I really needed to reconsider and evaluate how I want to finish off my latter years of employment,” Maribel shared. “The semiconductor industry had a really big appeal to me. It’s something new. I’m very curious and all the new technology inspired me.”
Not only was the Fresh Start program focused on semiconductors, but it was also designed specifically for women. For an industry where Maribel felt like she couldn’t get a foot in the door, suddenly, there was a door with her name written on it. So she applied.
“It kind of gave me permission to think, ‘Wow, I can do this.’ I didn’t think it was really feasible.”
Fresh Start offered direction in a moment that could have easily become stagnant.
“This is what I needed. If I hadn’t found Fresh Start, I’d probably still be sitting at home, applying for jobs that I didn’t really want to pursue.”
Maribel started the semiconductor technician program in October 2025, and admitted that the program was more in-depth than she was anticipating. The material was dense and technical, and unlike anything in her career in finance. But the Fresh Start environment held her up in challenging moments. She never once thought about quitting.
“I never felt like giving up. I’m here until they kick me out because this was such a reach for me, mentally,” Maribel said, smiling. “It’s given me the confidence that I can do this.”
A guest speaker from Move Over Bob came into class and left the women with an encouraging message that stuck with Maribel: there is space for them in the semiconductor industry.
“She was great because you would think of this industry as male-dominated and she said, ‘No, there’s space for us,’ which was very motivating.”
Maribel hopes that other women standing at their own crossroads will give themselves the same permission she gave herself after stumbling upon Fresh Start’s flyer.
“It’s never too late and there is hope for all of us. You have the permission to not only be who you are but continue to grow and expand.”
Maribel went into the program ready to learn everything. She didn’t want to rush the learning and instead, took strides to understand the work, how to earn her footing, and build up from entry-level.
After completing Fresh Start’s semiconductor program in late 2025, Maribel achieved her goal of breaking into the semiconductor industry and was hired as a Semiconductor Production Associate at NXP via Randstad.