From Intern to Supervisor at Amazon

Guest Blog Post submitted by Sha-Keema Griffin, a case planner at The Foundling

 

For the past year, I have had the pleasure of working with Ralph as his social worker. From the first day of meeting him, I could tell that he was a young man who wanted to make sure that he had a bright future. When I met Ralph in 2017, he was enrolled full-time as a student at Bronx Community College studying Liberal Arts, and he was also working full-time at Google. The combination of maintaining good grades and holding down a full-time job, let me know that he was a person who had a lot of ambition and drive, and wanted to accomplish a lot in life.

 

Last summer, I sent Ralph an email in regards to a summer internship that The New York Foundling was offering that gave youth the opportunity to work in the office of Development. And although Ralph already had a full schedule, with his graduation approaching, he still submitted his resume so that he could be considered for the position. Ralph was granted the opportunity to work as an intern for the Department of Development, and seems to have left a lasting impression on those that came in contact with him. Ralph then became a Supervisor at Amazon. Not only has Ralph been able to obtain jobs with great companies, but he has also been resourceful at helping fellow Supportive Housing tenants with job leads and obtaining positions.

 

Although I have only known Ralph for a year, he is a tenant that will leave a lasting impression in my work life. He is a person that did not allow his past to determine his future, and overcame numerous obstacles in order to get to where he is today. Ralph recently informed me that he obtained an apartment in Brooklyn, and that he will begin his classes at CUNY School of Professional Studies to study business this fall. Ralph has been an example of a model tenant for the Supportive Housing program. He is a person that I know will do extremely well in life, and will accomplish all goals that he sets for himself. I would like to wish Ralph the best of luck in his future endeavors, and hope that, one day, he will come back and mentor some of our new tenants in the future.