A few years ago, Los Angeles native Karina Guerra was working outside of a bank as a security guard. Today, she proudly works at an institution that is focused on helping working families and communities that have historically faced systemic barriers to financial inclusion. This change was made possible thanks to the support she received at the BankWork$ career training program.
“The program director at JVS SoCal, was a huge support,” shares Karina. “I thank him for pushing me and believing in me because I didn’t even believe in myself yet.”
When Karina graduated from high school, she wanted to become a medical assistant. She pursued that at community college, but got pregnant with her first daughter and dropped out of the program. Still, she continued to take general education courses.
That’s when she discovered a passion for information technology (IT). Soon got pregnant with her second daughter and was forced to work outside of her passion to support her growing family.
Fast forward to 2020: Karina’s year started off rough—first with a separation from the father of her two daughters and then with the pandemic. That same year, Karina’s friend, who had gone through the BankWork$ program, encouraged her to explore it.
Karina had worked as a retail cashier at Michaels, Macy’s and the 99 Cents store and at the time, was as a security guard at Chase bank branch in L.A..
“I was outside the doors and would help guide members to a teller or cubicle depending on what products or services they needed,” she shares. The bank manager noticed how Karina went above and beyond and suggested she apply there.
Wanting to be prepared for the challenge, she was further motivated to join the no-cost eight week training program that has already helped nearly 500 others get into banking.
At BankWork$ she gained industry knowledge like banking regulations and how to distribute money. “Everything we learned was so helpful and applied to the day-to-day work,” she says. “It’s like BankWork$ is there with you, guiding you, and already knows all the steps.”
Karina received multiple job offers upon graduation, including one from OneWest Bank. She ultimately chose Self-Help Federal Credit Union in Pomona. She loves what they stand for and how they support the community through financial access and education.
“I truly love it,” says Karina, who has been with the bank for over three years. “I look forward to every day, being there helping the members.”
Karina’s manager at Self-Help FCU believes in her, too. She has encouraged her to return to college to position herself for a job in IT at the bank. And with the support of her boss, Karina is working on an online bachelor’s degree at Arizona State University.
Meanwhile, she’s thrilled JVS SoCal was part of her journey. “No other organization that I know prepares you for that first day the way JVS does,” she says. “With the BankWorks Certificate, you’re ready to go, and you really do impress a lot of people with that.”
Are you interested in helping others like Karina to impress in fields like banking, property maintenance, health care and more? Get started here.