Eight turn hardships into bright futures
BY MATTHEW EGAN
Correspondent

NEW BRUNSWICK — Nanette Reid of South Amboy works five days a week as a medical biller in East Brunswick. She commutes to her job at Pulmonary and Internal Medicine of Central Jersey.

But life wasn’t always so routine for Reid, who was one of eight Middlesex County residents recognized by the Middlesex County Workforce Investment Board at the third annual Star Awards breakfast in August.

The awards are given to those who overcame great personal challenges and found success in the workplace through job training.

"These men and women are role models for all those who face what seem to be insurmountable challenges," said Freeholder Jane Z. Brady, who chairs the county’s Human Services Committee and is liaison to the Workforce Investment Board.

After losing her first husband to a battle with cancer in 1997, Reid nearly lost her own life in the 9/11 attacks.

She was at her administrative job across the street from the World Trade Center that day.

She made it home safely. But two weeks later, Reid was jobless, a victim of the souring economy.

Looking back on that hard time, Reid said she had no choice but to continue to search for work.

"I had two kids to feed," she said.

Reid turned to the New Brunswick One-Stop Career Center in 2002. She enrolled at Middlesex County College in the software technology specialist program to upgrade her skills.

"The career center guided me and showed me what I needed to do to find work," Reid said.

Tragedy struck again in 2003. Reid’s 22-year-old son, Christopher Cooper, died in a car accident in Florida. Despite her losses and setbacks, Reid finished at the top of her class at Middlesex County College and passed the Microsoft office certification test at the expert level. She then took her current job as medical billing office manager.

Reid recently started the Christopher Cooper Scholarship Fund in honor of her son. The scholarship is open to Old Bridge High School students and offers $2,000 a year for college.

And she has some career advice for other struggling parents.

"Go back to school and start over, because it is worth it," she said.

County residents can access a broad range of services at the One-Stop Career Center, including labor market information, job openings, resume preparation, career counseling, training opportunities and information on supportive services.

The other honorees included:

• Jun-Hua Chen of Edison was a nurse in China before she immigrated to the United States. She enrolled in the English as a second language program at the New Brunswick Learning Center and then vocational training at the Crossroads Career Institute. She now works at the JFK Hartwyck Nursing Home in Edison.

• Kathleen Kennedy of South Amboy lost her job in 2002 while she was the primary caregiver for her young daughter, and her husband and mother, who were suffering from life-threatening illnesses. Kennedy completed the computerized medical office program at Middlesex County College and found a job in less than a month at the Obstetrical and Gynecological Group of East Brunswick.

• Dilcia Lora of Perth Amboy. Lora enrolled in a rigorous dental assistant program at the Central Career School, while caring for two toddlers. She graduated at the top of her class and was soon found a job as a dental assistant.

• Francisco Perez of Perth Amboy pursued a commercial driver’s license, despite his lack of a high school diploma and his limited English.

Perez was later offered a professional truck driver’s job. He currently works at Tropical Logistics.

• Verna Sellers, a single mother of four from New Brunswick, took advantage of job training at the Crossroads Career Institute and became a certified nursing assistant in 2003. Sellers has been employed at the Somerhill Nursing Home in Old Bridge since her graduation.

"The extraordinary determination and hard work shown by each Star awardee is truly inspiring," said Middlesex County Freeholder Director David B. Crabiel. "They seized the opportunity that was given to them and reached for the best within themselves. "

For more information about the services available at the One-Stop Career Centers, call (732) 937-6200.