Years later, here’s where graduates are.

Before I got involved with Bridges, I was just going to school every day, playing sports. I played basketball and volleyball, so going to practice. I'm a very quiet person. It was a little bit of a struggle for me to talk to people.

I moved from another state. Also, when I started high school, it was virtual. So me meeting people, trying to make friends, that was really challenging.

I heard about Bridges from my CTI coordinator. She introduced us to Ms. Dominique.

Initially, Kyla was very quiet, but very attentive and would not miss a class. I think all the students have potential, but Kyla just had a bright light about herself. Someone who seemed to put in the extra work.

Bridges helped me with my social skills, talking more clear, speaking up, looking somebody in the eye, shaking their hand.

Ms. Dominique came and we toured Bridges. Between Bridges and Slo-Mo. One of the connections that they had, when she came in, you know, he liked her, and they hired her on the spot.

Slo-Mo Institute started in 2019. We take the medium of slime in order to create joy amongst the guests. The slime tenders are in charge of working the stations that are on the floor.

Kyla is an exceptional individual. She is so dependable. She's also really funny. Guests really love her, just like the employees do.

Bridges' work actually brought me joy. It brought her out. You know, her personality just blossomed after she started working. It just brought her to be who she is today. I

love the fact that they stay connected with her. Ms. Dominique continues to talk to Kyla monthly, how her grades, how her school. I knew I wanted to go to college after high school. Now I'm doing my major classes.

I see myself working in the women's side of sports. Especially since I played sports growing up.

Bridges is the conduit from education to business community. You know, you mesh the three, and you have successful outcomes such as Kyla. When you look at television, you see all the negative things about what's happening with young people. I love the idea that we can change lives to provide meaningful employment for students who, in a lot of cases, were overlooked. I love the idea that we can change lives to provide meaningful employment for students who, in a lot of cases, were overlooked. I love the idea that we can change lives to provide meaningful employment for students who, in a lot of cases, were overlooked.

Well, we want to have a student to not just get a job. We want you to grow in it. We want you to get promoted. We want you to start on your career path. And I think the possibilities are limitless in what we can accomplish with Bridges.

Ever since I've been with Bridges, I've learned a lot. There was a lot of stuff I didn't know. I never knew how to look for a job or the correct things to say in an interview. There are a lot of students that graduate from high school feeling lost because they don't have their special ed department anymore. Some of these kids fall through the cracks. He was very shy in the beginning, very nervous. Any task he would question it thinking can he do it. Little by little, I saw him changing and being himself. He doesn't second guess himself anymore.

We worked on his resume, what are the jobs that's going to be good for him, mock interviews with a lot of job applications. His work experience with Bridges started with Levi's, then he went to Project R. to Old Navy. From there, he got his permanent job at AMC Theatres. He did pursue his education with a BA in psychology.

One day, he reached out to me and said, Ria, he's like, I want to relocate to Seattle. That's what I love about Bridges. We don't lose connection with these young adults. And I told him, let's make a deal. When you get there, reach out to me so I can help you get a job remotely. He got hired by Maxim's Healthcare Staffing, and now he's a prior educator.

I saw that he was very compassionate. He was extremely hardworking, and I knew that he could do great. His role and responsibilities include working at an elementary school, middle school, high school. He works with students who are on the autism spectrum or have other developmental disabilities. He normally works one-on-one or as classroom support, making sure they're understanding the curriculum being taught to ensure they exceed in the class. And are able to communicate with other peers and have that positive experience in school. It's a school district where things are always moving fast, and we've always appreciated Marco's adaptability in the role.

I really love making sure they have a good day. I want to help the students and the teachers succeed. When I'm a one-on-one, the mindset I have is that I'm going to work until I'm no longer needed. And try to do my work to my fullest potential.

It is such a great fit for him because he was one of those students that needed the help, the guidance.

I could see myself working for Bridges one day because I really liked what Ria and Bridges has offered to me, and I'd want to do the same for young adults.

I hope he can pass this on to the next Bridges student. I'm just so proud of him. This young man has come a long way.

My name is William Bedford, and I am a custodian for Chicago Public Schools.

After school, I was looking for a job. They've been calling me for interviews, and they didn't hire me. It felt like, I'm never gonna find a job.

People expect autism to look a certain way. I remember when Dr. Melandas came in to give me this diagnosis, it was, here are all the things that he probably will not do. He probably won't speak. He probably won't interact with people or like touch, and William surprises people a lot.

When I first met William, he made sure to tell me that he would be a hard worker, and that he wouldn't let me down. I had no idea. He helped him get a job at Miller's Ale House at Chicago Ridge Mall. The day of his interview, I immediately saw William just sort of freeze up. I said, well, how about William shows you that he can do the job? Those ladies over there are about to leave. He cleaned the table. He reset it. He took the towel back. He came back. He said, all done. And she said, you're hired.

Initially, he was just doing his duties. He wouldn't do a lot of chit-chat or socialization. And then he just started to open up and talk to employees. He talked to the customers.

His progression from when he started and just giving him the basic what we need you to do and how he developed it and changed it to when he left me, it was amazing.

So we got a job lead about, an earmarked job lead that was janitorial in the school system. I sent it to him. I later found out through a colleague that he actually went to the job fair. He told her, like, I got it. I think I'm okay. He was like, and I need to do this on my own, not as a part of a program. So he did it. And that's the job he works now. Now he's driving.

He's been with us now a little over a year, and I can truly say he is an exemplary employee because he puts in more than 100 % in whatever he does.

Bridges was that support that William needed for him to be seen. Having a job and being able to live in community is important to all of us.

I could see William become a different person just through the program. How his self-esteem skyrocketed. How he feels equal.

Bridges makes me grow.

Sometimes it's hard, but I can do it. The hard work.

My typical workday at Amazon is getting up between 3 to 5 a.m. and getting ready and taking the BART. When I walk through the door, they always announce, Hey, what's up, Ash? There he is. You ready to go scan some boxes? And I'm like, yeah, let's go.

The warehouse that Ash works in is about a two and a half hour commute that he does five days a week. He just took it upon himself before his first day to map it out, got on the train and did it. And he wanted to make sure that he knew how to get there. I always wanted a job, but I didn't know how to start looking and interviews. They made me a little nervous. His first real job was working at a retail store here called TJ Maxx. It was just a seasonal position. They hired Ash to work for the holidays.

At that point, he had fallen on the ground. He had some hard times. He spent two years living in a homeless shelter. It was hard mentally and emotionally and physically hard. When I got into stable housing, the first thing I want to do is get to work. I called up Bridges. They connected me with Lisel.

Coming back to Bridges and pursuing employment opportunities, getting into stable housing, then to have the pandemic. Even through that, managing to find a perfect fit in terms of jobs, it says a lot about how resilient Ash is and the way that he is able to overcome any challenge or obstacle that comes his way.

He started at Amazon as a temporary employee. Through the arc, he had a job coach. Soon he was working totally independently. And within two months, they promoted Ash to a permanent employee. Then they started training him in all different areas. So he's gotten three raises within seven months.

With Bridges, I'm in a program that helps me tremendously.

He's confident, he's independent, he's thriving and feeling comfortable in the person that he is. Honestly, I couldn't be prouder.