Success Stories - New Community Corporation

New Community Corporation has steadfastly remained true to its mission of improving the quality of life for inner city residents since 1968. Take time to learn more about some of the people whose lives have been positively impacted by New Community:

Former NCC Youth Earns Doctorate Degree, Impacts Community

Dr. Shannon Stanford is a true success story. Born and raised in the Central Ward of Newark, Stanford witnessed the effects of gun violence and drugs on her community. But New Community Corporation programs helped her see people working in a positive environment, which she attributes to her educational and professional achievements. She has been a professional teacher and currently works as a behavioral specialist and a consultant. Last month she completed her doctorate in education at the University of Southern California – all at age 32. “I and others like myself are an example of the desired outcome of the NCC founders,” Stanford said. “We are examples of the good that results from people who assume social responsibility and

Law School And Beyond: NCC Parent Passes Bar, Builds Legal Career

Tyana Murray admits there were times when she wanted to quit law school. And perhaps she might have—had she not already come so far. As a single parent, Murray embarked upon the formidable task of pursuing her law degree while also raising her young daughter, Tahyae Fisher, who attended NCC’s Community Hills Early Learning Center in Newark since the age of six months. “It was definitely a struggle trying to keep it all together,” Murray said. “You need to know how to deal with the cards dealt to you and still prevail through it all,” she said. Murray successfully took the LSAT, the admissions test for law school, but that was only the first of many hurdles she faced. Due

allied-health-grads-by-workforce-banner-jpg

Allied Health Grads Score Jobs At Newark Beth Israel Medical Center

About a month after Ernestina Adu-Gyebi graduated from the Allied Health Training Program at New Community, she started her first day of work at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center as a nurse assistant. Previously, 31-year-old Adu-Gyebi worked as a home health aide and interacted with one patient at a time in a home setting. At Newark Beth, it’s a much faster pace. She cares for multiple patients—checking their vital signs or helping them with daily activities such as washing or going for short walks—and also assists nurses with their duties. “I get to help so many people out,” she said. “I’m learning so much.” Abu-Gyebi is one of several graduates from New Community Workforce Development Center’s Allied Health Care Training

NCC Youth Joins The Navy, Plans To Cross The Globe

College isn’t for everyone and Robert Williams has experienced that first hand. Upon graduating high school in 2015 from People’s Prep Charter School, Williams, a resident of 72 Hayes St. in Newark, enrolled at William Paterson University in the fall. But he felt bored. He wanted to see more of the world. “Why not? It’s a new experience,” Williams, now 20, said from Pensacola, Fla., where he was stationed at the time of the interview. Taking matters into his own hands, Williams said that he originally wanted to join the Marine Corps but was unable to enlist because of a policy that didn’t allow any visible tattoos. So he turned his focus on joining the Navy. Within two days of

NCC Partners With City To Train Jobseekers For Positions At Port Newark

For Ashton Merritt, New Community Workforce Development Center’s Ford Automotive Training Program has changed the course of his life. In the Summer of 2015, he completed the 1,200-hour program, which is backed by Ford Motor Company, and was hired last September by FAPS Inc., a major employer at the Port of Newark. “This has literally turned my life around,” said Merritt, 32, of Newark, who recently marked his one-year anniversary at the job. “It was great for me.” Merritt is one of several graduates from New Community’s automotive program that was hired as a full-time laborer at FAPS, which is the abbreviation for Foreign Auto Preparation Service. “You guys have provided us with good employees,” Julie Lynch, FAPS human resources

Building Trades Grad Tashera Taliaferro By Aliyah Rawles

Tashera Taliaferro attributes her innovativeness to her parental upbringing. That’s why it’s not hard to believe that she is a perfect addition to the team at AeroFarms, vertical farm startup in Newark. Joining the company as Machine Tech 1, in April 2016, Taliaferro boasts that she is capable of solely accomplishing tasks at work that would usually require the help of four individuals. If there is one word Taliaferro describes herself as it is efficient. Taliaferro, 35, acquired the skills that make her successful at AeroFarms through New Community Workforce Development Center’s Building Trades Program in September. She graduated in December. Arriving at the Building Trades program with ambition and drive, Taliaferro remained focused and set on her dreams despite

To Infinity And Beyond: Next Stop, Virginia State University

By Aliyah Rawles Still hitting life’s curves but managing to stay on track, former Harmony House resident and college-bound track runner Infinity Hedrington continues to stride towards her dreams. During the month of June, Hedrington had a lot on her plate. She applied to colleges, prepared for prom and graduation, and her family moved out of Harmony House, New Community’s transitional housing facility for homeless families. Hedrington has certainly made big strides. Now an incoming college freshman at Virginia State University, Hedrington plans to study sports medicine and become a kinesiologist. With track still being a part of her future dreams, Hedrington served as captain of Newark’s West Side High track team for a third year during the 2015-2016 school

Despite Life’s Curveball, NCC Resident Strives For High School Diploma

For Selena Brown, the journey towards achieving her high school diploma has been a long one. But she’s taking it one day at a time. A resident of New Community Gardens Family, Brown, 21, is currently enrolled in NCC Workforce Development Center’s Academic Enrichment and High School Diploma Program for Older Youth. Under the guidance of her instructor, Odette Phillip, Brown and her classmates are learning subjects ranging from language arts and math to science, social studies and life skills. Earning a high school diploma is a challenging task for Brown, who has been out of school for several years but still has her dream career in sight. “I want to be a nurse,” she said. From around 2007 to

FSB Client Receives Prestigious Student Of The Year Award

On October 20, 2015, Wesley Way received the Literacy Volunteers of America’s Student of the Year Award. Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA) is a national non- profit learning program for adults who want to learn how to read and write in English. The Student of the Year Award is their most prestigious award and is given to a student who excels at LVA in their achievement, commitment and diligence. Way enrolled in LVA when he was a client at NCC Family Service Bureau’s Gateway to Freedom (GTF) Outpatient Program and was referred to LVA by his counselor Stanley Ross. The GTF program is an evidence based holistic rehabilitative program designed to enable clients to reassess their values, goals and priorities

NCC Building Trades Student Lands Job At Newark Airport

Maurice Culley’s handiwork can be seen all over Terminal B at Newark Liberty International Airport. Culley, a 2014 graduate of the New Community Workforce Development Center’s Building Trades Training Program, works as a mechanic for Aerotek, a contractor for Delta Airlines that provides maintenance and repair services for all of Delta’s equipment. Aerotek also staffs other services, ranging from food to janitorial, at Newark airport. On a recent Tuesday, Culley carefully applied a coat of white paint to baggage tow tractor. He focused intently, working alone in a garage near gate 43 at Terminal B, with the radio and roar of jet engines filling the background. Before painting the stocky, two-seat vehicle that pulls baggage carts to and from aircrafts,