Muneera Safieddine entered her Application Eligibility Period (AEP) at EDSI’s Westland PATH Office on June 24, 2014. She was willing from the first day to do whatever was asked of her and accepted any suggestions to assist in moving forward with her career goals. Muneera expressed her interest in being a Patient Care Technician (PCT), and she planned to enroll at Henry Ford Community College in their PCT program. After much discussion regarding finances and the supportive services available to PATH participants, Muneera researched several training programs, identified a PCT training with three national certifications that are state-transferable if she ever relocates, and submitted a request for financial assistance.
Muneera was focused on gaining employment or a volunteer work opportunity that would increase her work experience and skills. She received supportive services for the purchase of interview clothing and met with staff to review openings. Within three days, Muneera had an interview for a Tour Guide position with the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn. Her pleasant personality and bilingual ability were a great fit. The museum provided Muneera with a book about Arab American history to study and memorize, and when she returned to our office, she was excited to share what she had learned about her culture. In addition to her studies, Muneera shadows museum staff when time allows and attends museum events. Her study program will be completed in December, and Muneera may then be considered for a paid position.
Along with her activities with the museum, Muneera continued with her PCT career path. She received her supportive services and enrolled in PCT training at Phlebotomy Career Training located in Garden City, MI. On August 8, 2014, her classes began. Muneera is enjoying the training and was happy to share her first test results with EDSI; she received an A in memorizing 120 medical term acronyms.
Balancing vocational training, pre-employment activities, and her family responsibilities is not easy, but Muneera has approached each opportunity with an extremely positive attitude and enthusiasm. When asked about her collaboration with EDSI-Michigan Works! and the PATH program, she had this to say:
“My name is Muneera Safieddine, and I would like to tell you about my experience with Patricia Hindman, who I am very lucky to have as my worker; she took out a lot of her time and energy to help me. I am a single mother of five children and have been having a hard time obtaining a job, so I had to reapply for cash assistance. I was sent to PATH, and I was lucky enough to have met her. I feel like she went out of her way on everything to help me look for a job and asked me about what kind of job I wanted. The program has helped me a lot, even helping to assist with interview clothes and making sure I can reach my dream of being in the medical field. I am now in training, and I feel very blessed and very thankful. I just wanted to give my gratitude for her and PATH. Thank you very much for the respect and time to help me get into the medical field. Thanks!”
