Belkina

Before Upwardly Global:
Babysitter
Current Profession:
Diet Clerk
Current Employer:
Rush University Medical Center
Belkina_1200x628-5

“I am grateful for the first-class attention and service that Upwardly Global offers to professional immigrants without distinction to achieve our goals. When you have a dream, the sky’s the limit.”

Belkina came to the United States as an asylee from Venezuela and settled in Chicago. Back home, she earned a master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics.

“I was struggling with the language and many of the positions required fluency in English and work experience which I did not have.”

Belkina spent nearly a year working as a babysitter and in the meantime picked up ESL (English as a Second Language) classes. She also spoke with a friend, a fellow immigrant from Venezuela, who referred Belkina to Upwardly Global.

Belkina received help to polish her professional resume, edit her cover letters, and gain insight on how to successfully handle a job interview. A job coach provided one-on-one personalized assistance and checked in on her daily.

“It was like we started the journey together,” Belkina said. “Having someone that I could trust, who recognized my accomplishments and previous experiences in my native country and helped me learn to sell myself as a candidate, made a great difference.”

Nearly six months after she first enrolled in the program, Belkina secured a job at the Rush University Medical Center for a Diet Clerk position, utilizing her previous experience and her degree.