Meet Our International Professionals Program Graduates (Summer 2021 Cohort)
On Thursday, July 1, 2021, The Welcoming Center will be celebrating the graduation of 12 International Professionals Program (IPP) participants, representing seven countries across the globe.
IPP is an eight-week course for career readiness training followed by six months of job coaching. It brings together a diverse group of international professionals with bachelor’s degrees or higher and U.S. work authorization seeking to enter the U.S. workforce through meaningful employment or fellowship opportunities.
We asked our participants to share more about themselves. Read their responses below.
Our participants are a highly skilled group of bilingual and multilingual talent with global experience who bring years of knowledge, skills, and experience with them. To connect with any of our international professionals for employment or fellowship opportunities, please contact Rochelle T. Cooks, Director of Employer Engagement, through our contact form.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m from Albania. I came to the United States in 2016. I studied Business Administration.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment is my master’s degree.
What are your career goals?
My career goals are to grow professionally.
What was your favorite job? Why?
My favorite job was my previous job because it matches my qualifications.
How did you become interested in your career or field of interest?
I became interested after a long period of studying and me liking what I studied for.
What is your greatest asset/strength as an employee?
I’m dedicated to my job, responsible and hardworking.
What are your hopes and dreams for your future? Both for yourself and your family?
To get professionally better at my job, and for my family to succeed in life.
What have you learned about yourself over the past year?
I’ve learned that I’m very organized, dedicated and I can accomplish my goals.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m from Jordan. In 2005 I got my degree of Accounting from Alzaytona University of Jordan. I have 13 years of experience in accounting in different countries, 9 of them in Saudi Arabia as a Chief Accountant for one of the top 100 company on the kingdom. In 2018, I moved to the United States and worked in several fields such as a salesman in a furniture store and an accountant in a car dealership. Currently, I am trying to find an opportunity that fits my experience and enables me to develop my skills and experiences.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
Some of the most important accomplishment that I have: I worked with the Sales and Collection Department on updating customer data and credit agreements on the system. I also worked on reducing old and slow-moving items from the warehouses by working with the marketing team to impose sales campaigns. Finally I have also worked to end any tax suspensions with the Tax Department.
What are your career goals?
My goal is to have a challenging, rewarding and lasting experience at a reputable organization using all my skills, abilities and where progress is assured. I enjoy challenges and look forward to opportunities where I will be able to assume more responsibilities and increase my professional knowledge, skills & boost my abilities.
What was your favorite job? Why?
I prefer any work related to an accounting because it’s what I studied and have career experience doing.
How did you become interested in your career or field of interest?
I’ve always had an interest in this career since I was young, my uncle has an audit office and I would often go with him to his office and he asks me for some works and I like it.
What is your greatest asset/strength as an employee?
My greatest strength is attention to detail. I’ve always been detail-oriented in my work, and it’s something I enjoy.
What are your hopes and dreams for your future? Both for yourself and your family?
Get my CPA, Complete my studies.
What have you learned about yourself over the past year?
My health is important. Sometimes if you want something done, you best do it yourself.
Tell us about yourself.
I am from Algeria. I have been in the United States since March 2021. I have a master’s degree in Mining and Geology with a specialty in valorization of minerals resources.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment occurred in my previous position, as an engineer of quality control. I had involved in the small time between my job and helping the company grow up, so I took the initiative to balance in the different jobs position to find the way to help the commercial stock the raw materials and the product, and quality control responsibilities.
What are your career goals?
My career goal is to continue the job I was doing before moving to another country and grow professionally.
What was your favorite job? Why?
My favorite job was: engineer geotechnical of Quality Control. I was proud about my contribution to make concrete formulations which were adequate to the expectation of the project without any issues.
How did you become interested in your career or field of interest?
After high school I chose to continue studying mining because I was curious about this field. When I started to learn about the valorization of minerals and different models of geotechnic, I loved that and I have been passionate about discovering the way to exploration.
What is your greatest asset/strength as an employee?
My strength as an employee is that I consider other and contribute to team objectives.
What are your hopes and dreams for your future? Both for yourself and your family?
My is dream is to contribute with my experience into a great opportunity in the United States, and continue sharing an amazing life with my lovely husband, my futures kids and all my family.
What have you learned about yourself over the past year?
I learned that we are all teachers and students at the same time. We can learn from each other. I learned also about taking feedback from others and working on it to make a better version of ourselves.
Tell us about yourself.
I arrived in Philadelphia in December 2018. Before that I lived in Rancagu, Chile. I am a Mechanical Automotive Engineer.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
For my first job in the USA, I worked in customer service. I had the opportunity to create and improve different processes in this company. But my greatest achievement has definitely been getting into a new country and culture. In my country, in the last 6 years before coming to the United States, I dedicated my time and effort to become an expert in my field (Planning / Planner Project).
What are your career goals?
I always imagine myself leading a project team on a successful project. In the short term, one of my goals is to continue developing my English skills (speaking, writing, reading). I want to still grow and learn, to increase my skills and knowledge, for whenever that moment comes.
What was your favorite job? Why?
My favorite job is Planning/ Project Planner, because it is a dynamic and essential role that involves helping many other people (project managers, stakeholders sponsors, teams) through the different phases of work, and because it involves using and coordinating different resources to achieve a common goal. It involves making the best decisions for those people to put into action. I love this job because everyone shares the effort and is dedicated to the same objective. I also like the variety and daily challenges that this job offers.
How did you become interested in your career or field of interest?
In 2011, when I was working as a Mechanical Supervisor, I met Fernando, a Project Planner. We were working in the same company, and he taught me about this career. I felt interested in his tasks, information, focus attention and how important this position is in a project, so, from that moment, I wanted to become a Planner.
What is your greatest asset/strength as an employee?
Well, I think that my greatest strengths are my dedication, my creativity, my positive attitude, and my self discipline.
What are your hopes and dreams for your future? Both for yourself and your family?
I hope that my family will stay safe and healthy, that my brothers and sisters achieve their goals, and that my nephews & nieces grow up in a happy environment where they can be whatever they want to be. My short term dreams are to get my driver’s license and to achieve my certification in PMI-SP (Scheduling Professional certification). One long-term dream for me is to help my wife with her goal of starting her own gymnastics gym.
What have you learned about yourself over the past year?
Last year, I definitely learned that health is the most important and valuable thing in the world.
Tell us about yourself.
I used to be a teacher in Taiwan. I have been in Philly for around 3 years.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
I overcame the language barrier. I finished Home Health Aide and Certificate Nurse Aide courses and got the license.
What are your career goals?
I wish I can be a professional interpreter working in the medical field.
What was your favorite job? Why?
My favorite job in Taiwan was as a teacher. I love to communicate with people, therefore, I want to be a professional interpreter in America.
How did you become interested in your career or field of interest?
Last year when COVID-19 broke out, I saw more than fifteen thousand volunteers who contributed their medical knowledge and skills to help those in need. Those people deeply touched me. Therefore I attended the courses relative to the medical field. This knowledge not only can take care of our family members, it also can help other people who are in need.
What is your greatest asset/strength as an employee?
I am intelligent and hard-working. I am persistent when I start a task, I finish it.
What are your hopes and dreams for your future? Both for yourself and your family?
I wish I could find a suitable job and enjoy my life here.
What have you learned about yourself over the past year?
Because of COVID-19, I stayed at home. I took the chance to improve my reading, writing of English. I am glad that I am recognizing my progress.
Tell us about yourself.
I am from the Dominican Republic; I came to the United States in 2012. I am a Civil Engineer and I live in Philadelphia. I have 18 years of experience.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
My family.
What are your career goals?
I want to get a master’s degree in this country and form my own construction company.
What was your favorite job? Why?
The favorite part of my job was directing and executing a project. I like to work from the beginning to the end of the constructions directly in the field. From 2015 to 2020 I built The Camila Henriquez school on The Dominican Republic. This project has: 26 classrooms, library, infirmary, dining room for 360 students, teachers room, guidance office, administrative area, 2 volleyball and basketball court, and others. My functions were the execution of the works, I bought the construction materials, hiring of workers, rental of equipment and the supervision of all construction works.
How did you become interested in your career or field of interest?
All the time I have liked to build and repair things. In 2006 I built a family building with 4 levels (8 apartments), this construction was made of concrete.
What is your greatest asset/strength as an employee?
Teamwork and problem solving.
What are your hopes and dreams for your future? Both for yourself and your family?
To be able to exercise my career in this country, and to give a better life to my family.
What have you learned about yourself over the past year?
I learned that I can improve myself more every day, regardless of the challenges that life throws at me.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m from Algeria, I moved to the United States in 2018. My background is in Mathematics and Computer Science. I graduated from Algiers’ University of Sciences and Technology with a Master’s degree in Operation Research.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishments are my education and my work experience.
What are your career goals?
My short term career goal is to become a professional data scientist but my goal ultimately is to become an independent consultant and run my own business.
What was your favorite job? Why?
My favorite job was Quality Control Specialist. I liked this position because it was a challenging new role where I had to set up the process, data, numbers and KPI’s.
How did you become interested in your career or field of interest?
Since I was a child, I’ve always been passionate about math because I was raised in an engineer family. My father is a civil engineer
What is your greatest asset/strength as an employee?
I’m a team player. When I work with processes, I bring everyone in the process to work together and solve problems.
What are your hopes and dreams for your future? Both for yourself and your family?
My hope is to succeed as an immigrant and as a mother my wish is to become a great role model for my son. I want him to be so proud of his mother and father. We’ll do our best to raise our children in the best conditions.
What have you learned about yourself over the past year?
Over these past years, I’ve learned how patient a person I could be and resilient!
I’ve learned also how brave a woman I am. I crossed the ocean by myself without any support just to reach my dream. And this dream came true and to be continued… By this experience I’m able to adapt to different environments cultures and became more open to others.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m from Algeria. I have been living here in the United States for almost 2 years. I have a bachelor’s degree in finance and economic science and a master’s degree in insurance technics. I have 8 years of experience in a large insurance company in Algeria as a Planning and Organization Officer and management controller. I worked also as an Administrative Assistant in the General Management of the company, and the last job I held was as an Automotive Service Manager (Technical Department) in an agency of a company. I have also been volunteering for many years as a French teacher.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
One of my greatest accomplishments is to have participated heavily in the project of the subscription of the multi-risk home insurance and the development of online payments which were not very developed in Algeria by the research and the proposal of the technical questionnaire adapted to this kind of insurance and of guarantee. This has been successful since 2020. Customers can purchase multi risk home, natural catastrophe, and automobile insurance as well as insurance claims online via a credit card.
What are your career goals?
My ambitions are to pursue my career and develop it in the field of Planning, Organization and Management Control by finding a position in these fields. To become a Chief Strategy Officer is one of my principal goals. Working in the administration or communication field or teaching are also part of my goals because my experience allows me to. Also, all the jobs in the humanitarian or cultural fields which their principal aims are helping, assisting, and supporting people interest me a lot in order to build a career in this field.
What was your favorite job? Why?
My favorite job was when I was head of auto insurance for an insurance company in Algeria. I developed and implemented dashboards and activity reports by using the analysis tools like the database. I also calculated performance indicators to analyze the figures of the company in terms of growth, claims to pay and collections… etc. This helped me to see where are the different problems that the company encounters in the different agencies and branches and to solve them as long as I had a detailed view about the company. It was fascinating for me because with each dashboard the figures change. My curiosity and attention to detail pushed me each time to find the negative or positive points that the company encounters to make it evolve.
Working with non-profit organizations, humanitarian or cultural organizations, customer services are some of my favorite jobs because I like helping people, supporting and assisting them.
How did you become interested in your career or field of interest?
My dedication to work, my organization and my knowledge, my team spirit, my integrity, my honesty, my love to solve problems and helping my colleagues but also my relentlessness to learn every day, my analytical mind and my precision in numbers and my love of detail in all projects. All these qualities made me a special person to the point where all the departments turn to me or seek to work directly with me when they needed statistics on the company or to advise them solutions in relation to our working together because they trusted my competencies but also the relationship that I built with them.
What is your greatest asset/strength as an employee?
My analytical mind, my love of details and precision, and I like to get out of my comfort zone and surpass myself by giving myself new goals at work on each time.
What are your hopes and dreams for your future? Both for yourself and your family?
My hope is to find the job that suits me and pursue my career, do training to develop in my profession and above all be fulfilled and happy in my work and my life, and closely follow my children so that they succeed in their studies and their life in general.
What have you learned about yourself over the past year?
I learned to be more patient and at the same time I developed my English skills by attending online English classes with District 1199c and Community College of Philadelphia. I was also able to set goals and perspectives for my new career.
Tell us about yourself.
I was born and raised in Indonesia and moved to America to pursue my higher education degree in 2013. My undergrad major is in Accounting and Finance, currently taking my master’s degree in organizational management.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
Being a mother
What are your career goals?
Becoming an accountant. My background was in the accounting industry and I love working with numbers, and I am pursuing my master’s degree in organizational management.
What was your favorite job? Why?
Financial Treasury, because I have to manage the company’s cash flows. I was managing company’s daily cash in and cash out, dealing with interest for bank loan. At the end of the day, we have to recap all the money ins and outs for the day, we also recap for the end of the months and the end of the year for all the company’s cash ins and outs.
How did you become interested in your career or field of interest?
I love numbers and working with numbers.
What is your greatest asset/strength as an employee?
Integrity and perseverance
What are your hopes and dreams for your future? Both for yourself and your family?
Manage my own company.
What have you learned about yourself over the past year?
Perseverance and sincerity
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Nevila Mano. I come from Albania and I have been living in the United States for 3 years. I studied Business Administration and Finance at the University of Tirana in my home country. I received a bachelor and a master’s degree in this field. I worked as an accountant for 20 years at “Alliance Francaise” of Korca, Albania.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
I would consider my greatest accomplishment to be the organization of the “Music Festival” on the 21-st June 2017 back in my hometown. Every year, the French Embassy organizes the “Music Festival” to bring together both Albanian and French people and cultures. That year, I was assigned by the French Embassy to be both the organizer of the festival and the financial assistant. I am happy to inform you that everything went well and everybody was happy at the end of the day.
What are your career goals?
I would like to point out that my first goal for my career is to be involved and work in the field related to my education and knowledge skills. My second career goal would be to learn new work methodologies as well as adapt to different work environments and situations. My last goal would be to learn new skills and gain new experiences.
What was your favorite job? Why?
My favorite job was my previous job where I worked for 20 years as an accountant. I liked my job because that was related to my education and knowledge. I worked with people who had the same backgrounds and skills as I did. Finally, I liked that job because there was a lot of room to learn and experience new stuff.
How did you become interested in your career or field of interest?
I became interested in my career because I have always thought of relating my career with my goals and education. I think I have a suitable education in the field that I studied and has helped me reach my goals so far. My interest in my career has related both these factors.
What is your greatest asset/strength as an employee?
My greatest asset/strength as an employee would be my organizational skills and my determination. I always keep track of my work and I try to be as careful as possible. I also like to finish what I start. When an assignment is given to me, it will be done and submitted in time, even if I have to spend over time on it.
What are your hopes and dreams for your future? Both for yourself and your family?
My hopes for the future are pretty straightforward. I would like to be part of a work environment where I can learn but also use my knowledge to help the company improve its service or product. I wish the same for my husband and I hope that my only son finishes his studies and reach his goals after graduation.
What have you learned about yourself over the past year?
Coming to the United States was a big challenge and change for me and my whole family. Throughout the past year, I have learned to be more determined and hard working. I think that there are a lot of opportunities for me to evolve professionally as well as personally. I feel ready for new challenges.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m from Amman, Jordan. I moved to the US in late 2019. I have a BA and a MA in English Literature. I have experience in journalism, writing, editing and digital media. In my previous jobs, I was responsible for planning and executing content strategies for the website, emails and social media, including 300+ marketing email campaigns per month. I have also created and implemented editorial strategies, researched and proposed story ideas at daily meetings, written, edited and published over 60 news articles per month, generating over 15M organic reads. I also managed all social media platforms, increasing the audience from 6k to +145k. As a multilingual, multicultural, community involved individual, I cultivated communication across departments for a more cohesive and diverse office environment. In addition to my research and writing skills, I have excellent comprehension of digital media and internet-based communities. This has been immensely useful in finding stories, fact-checking as well as keeping my articles relevant and up-to-date. I am a firm believer in the impact of journalism and news in bringing people together, and shedding light on communities that are underrepresented, misrepresented and marginalized.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
I wrote hundreds of viral articles covering issues of human rights, gender, armed conflict, geopolitics, censorship and culture wars. I also generated over 140,000+ organic Twitter followers. My greatest academic accomplishment is my master’s thesis about the representation of children with disability in literature.
What are your career goals?
I wish to pursue my PhD in English, and I wish to pursue a career in writing, journalism, media and academia.
What was your favorite job? Why?
Writing news articles. It combined my passion about social change as well as my writing skills. I felt productive and found it rewarding.
How did you become interested in your career or field of interest?
Writing was my childhood hobby turned into career.
What is your greatest asset/strength as an employee?
Passionate, hardworking, pay attention to details and thrive to always do better.
What are your hopes and dreams for your future? Both for yourself and your family?
To pursue my PhD and teach at the university (hopefully University of Pennsylvania).
What have you learned about yourself over the past year?
That I really want to pursue my PhD in English and that I love writing. I have my application ready since 2019. I have also gotten in touch with a professor, whom I’m interested in working with, but the university is not yet accepting any new students due to COVID. I am planning to submit my application once they start accepting students this fall.
