Meet Maricela (New York)!

Maricela Perez joined the Project SEARCH®️ program at Jewish Senior Life in the fall of 2019. Previously, she had been working with another local community-based employment training program and, while she had many beneficial internship experiences, it was recommended that she was not “ready” for work. The staff at Project SEARCH®️ felt differently and jumped at the chance to offer her another opportunity to gain meaningful employment.

Maricela knew that she wanted to work in an office-like setting and quickly demonstrated many hard and soft skills on the job. While there were still many things to learn, Maricela was motivated from day one to reach her employment goals. When the spring of 2020 hit, Maricela worked through the challenges, adapted to the changing expectations, and impressed her peers and coworkers with her ability to be flexible and dedicated. By the end of the 9-month Project SEARCH®️ program, Maricela had multiple departments at Jewish Senior Life offering her paid employment. Maricela, having always known what career path she wanted, accepted an offer that aligned with her true passion.

Maricela has been successfully working as a Concierge Assistant at The Summit at Brighton for over a year now. She partners with her employment specialist to fine-tune her skills. Not only is she an integral part of the team at The Summit, and she has also become a leader in teaching and mentoring new Project SEARCH®️ interns.