Stanasia McNair was working as a behavioral aide with young people in foster care when one of the teenagers she supported brought home a binder from CFUF. Filled with graphics and information to write a resume, land a new job, and get in the right frame of mind for success, the materials piqued Ms. McNair’s curiosity.
Ms. McNair had graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and attended Coppin State University, but she said she lacked confidence and needed to find structure and focus to reach her goals.
She went to CFUF in March, enrolled in STRIVE®, and found an experience that awakened new possibilities for her life. She participated in the 3-week workshop from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm and then went to work her shift at the residential home from 4:00 pm to midnight.
“When I did my intake, I felt like CFUF was something different than what I had come across ever before,” Ms. McNair said. “The Center allowed me to realize the stuff I am capable of, and that is something I struggled with for a very long time.”
CFUF wasn’t a temporary solution, she said, it was a solid foundation for her future.
Catherine Pitchford, director of programs for CFUF, lined up mock interviews for her with employers who talked to Ms. McNair about positions she never considered for herself. They said she had the aptitude to become a district manager or a senior executive.
Ms. McNair said she found herself sharing space with CFUF’s high achieving board members and networking with the organization’s inspiring alumni. One of those alumnus was a grant writer for the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development who recommended Ms. McNair for a position as a career coach for Baltimore City Public Schools students.
“Because they believed I could get a position like that, I couldn’t take no for an answer,” Ms. McNair said.
She landed the job in August.
As a career coach, she combines her passion for working with young people and draws on her own experience working in various jobs, including cosmetology, office administration, and project management. Ms. McNair said she lends advice and support to the students so they stay on track to work in the trades, attend college, join the military, or become entrepreneurs.
CFUF has put her on a path, not only for career success and economic stability, Ms. McNair said, but toward her true purpose and fulfillment.
Since graduating from STRIVE®, she’s been back to North Monroe Street to speak to new members, participate in ongoing training and enrichment activities, and join the growing advocacy efforts of the organization to push for policy changes to create more equitable conditions for all Baltimore families.
“It is like a family and feels like home,” Ms. McNair said.