Lawrence Family Development, Inc

Joachim was born and raised in Lawrence, MA. As a young teenager, he became actively involved with a gang and illegal activity in the City. At the age of 17 Joachim suffered a stroke, which has led to partial paralysis on the left side of his body. Even a stroke could not hold Joachim back. Two years ago, he was referred to the SISU program by the Lawrence Police Department due to his gang involvement and an arrest for gun possession. At the time of his referral, he was lacking direction and facing a substantial prison sentence for gun charges.

Since his referral and engagement with the program, Joachim has embraced the SISU program. He completed his high school diploma and completed the SISU workforce development program with a focus on screen printing and graphic design. He also his completed his OSHA 10 certification. During his time with SISU, Joachim has mastered SISU's screen printing presses, SISU's heat press machine, and the SISU CNC Machine. He has also become very skilled with Adobe Photoshop. He has earned a role as a SISU peer leader and he mentors other youth in the program. During the pandemic, SISU was able to place Joachim into an internship at a local graphic design studio. Upon completion of his internship, the Studio offered him a full time job.Joachim still checks into SISU and provides mentorship every morning before going to work at the studio.

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Ana moved from the Dominican Republic to Lawrence MA in 2018 with her husband and three children. She first registered with the Quintana Center’s ESL program during the spring of 2019 and earned the coveted role of graduation speaker.

Ana has continued on with ESL classes throughout this current fiscal year. When asked what her experience has been as a student here, she states, “it has been a great experience because I have been able improve my communication skills and continue with my future and her teacher, Mrs. Rose Ray Goris. Ana’s English has improved so much that she recently had the confidence to speak in public, representing the Quintana Center at the Lawrence Community Development Block Grant presentations.

Ana is continuing to work on her English language skills and is working towards a career in industrial engineering. She and her husband also hope to buy a home and make their new life in the United States more permanent.

Juan first enrolled in the Quintana Center’s ESL Spring 2020 session. Prior to COVID, he struggled to make it to class due to work obligations and would fall behind. Because of this he had to work harder to keep up with the rest of the class and the expectations. Nonetheless, he showed a real commitment to learning.

When the pandemic hit, the Quintana Center began offering classes over Zoom. Suddenly able to attend classes remotely, Juan made a commitment to not miss a single class in spite of his work obligations. He would often have to come in and out of class, but he dedicated the time every single Saturday, and took in what he could. Surprisingly, since going to only remote learning, his participation and ability to keep with the content increased dramatically. It was a great change, and while his teacher was concerned with his ability to pay attention and engage safely, she was impressed with his commitment and progress.

Juan completed the Spring session and has enrolled for the fall session as a remote student.

^{LAWRENCE PROSPERA IS A COMMUNITY DRIVEN NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION COMMITTED TO OUR MISSION OF STRENGTHENING THE INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES OF LAWRENCE, MA THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THRIVING NEIGHBORHOODS.}