Workforce Challenge 

Jamesha Perkins, 19, always wanted a summer job, but she felt like there was no hope for her or other people her age.   

Workforce Solution

No matter what she did she could not find a position that was willing to hire a teenager with no experience. However, in 2011 – Jamesha’s senior year – all that changed. A counselor at Baltimore City College High School encouraged her to register for the YouthWorks program. She did by providing all the required paperwork and right before her graduation, she was informed she would be placed at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Department of Neurology.  

Her duties would include reading emails, filing paper work and helping to coordinate training of new hires. This environment was perfect because she had an interest in the medical field.

Jamesha credits part of her success to YouthWorks. She does not know where she would have been if she did not get the opportunity to be exposed to the healthcare industry. Although she acquired an expertise in computer skills in high school, she always thought she didn’t have the personality to succeed working in a quiet office among doctors, nurses and accountants.

Outcomes & Benefits

Today Jamesha is in school furthering her education at Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) while continuing to work. She plans to apply for nursing school and earn her degree by 2016.  Her dream job is to become a pediatric nursing coordinator.