SOUTH BAY ONE-STOP BUSINESS & CAREER CENTERS
Meet Malia Dinkins
Workforce Challenge:
Malia Dinkins, of Inglewood, was being raised by her grandmother after being in foster care. Her senior year expenses were approaching and she needed a job to help pay for them so she applied to a few places. Not having prior work experience made the job search unsuccessful.
Workforce Solution:
Malia’s Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Independent Living Program (ILP) coordinator referred her to the Inglewood One-Stop Youth Program and she was placed in the Bridge to Work program. She enrolled in the Blueprint for Workplace Success class where she learned what companies expect from their employees, how to do a resume, how to interview and many other aspects of a working environment. Malia worked her first job at the South Bay One-Stop Youth Department as an assistant to case managers, and realized she wanted to work in an office setting as her career.
Outcome and Benefits:
Since then, Malia has attended Azusa Pacific University, during this summer she has been working at the Hawthorne Teen Center as an office assistant. Malia is transferring to Loyola Marymount University this fall 2019 to pursue a major in Sociology.
“The Inglewood One-Stop not only helped me advance my skill sets for work, but also as an individual. With the constant support of the One-Stop, it has made not only my work experience enjoyable and helped me to advance my strengths, but also my college experience a lot easier.”