Born in Russia, Yuliya has a degree in finance and English. She was working as an accountant at an aviation plant. In 2018 she moved to the US but did not want to pursue accounting. She was interested in programming and started some online learning. When Covid hit and companies stopped hiring a friend told her about TechFluent. ​

She leapt into the program in early 2023. Yuliya admits she was not the best student having missed some sessions, but she needed to find a balance with her retail job at the time. TechFluent was flexible and supportive throughout the process. The understanding and compassion from her mentors provided that extra kick to the process. ​

Today she is at Elevate Digital, and the experience has been amazing. Yuliya gets to work from home with her husband. In the evenings she has dinner with her family and talks about plans to turn their dreams into reality!

“TechFluent provided me the confidence and the foundation to plan a future and live a life that I was unable to imagine before.”

Born in Pakistan, Maryam was a stay-at-home mom working on her masters degree. Family and education have always been important but she realized despite her accomplishments she lacked the network to find a job or that opportunity to be a role model. While discouraged, it did not stop her to better herself so she could find a way to make a difference in the community and to help others in similar situations. ​

It was a mix of understanding her love for learning and the Covid outbreak that led Maryam to TechFluent. At first it was surprising the availability of resources and how everyone rallied to support her. Realizing the opportunity in front of her, Maryam committed herself to the program. ​

It wasn’t so much about a career, but rather being an inspiration and role model for her family while also finding a way to help others. Her family’s future is hopeful and now she is able to support her extended family as well. She wants to pay it forward and support others in similar positions. Today Maryam is working at Stoneridge and is loving it! ​

“Before TechFluent I was afraid of failure. However, my journey with TechFluent provided me the opportunity to work with all kinds of mentors that were amazing. Bringing together all kinds of different backgrounds and perspectives. They helped me setup for success and provided the confidence and skills needed to jump start my Dynamics career.”​

Born in the US with family from Nepal, Jyoti and her husband settled down in Minnesota. She was working as a manager at an AMC theater for 4 years. She started school and got through a year and half before dropping out due to health reasons. Jyoti was being bullied and found herself mentally stuck. Her husband found TechFluent and encouraged her to be part of the program. ​

Taking that first step into TechFluent Jyoti found the program fast paced and recognized she needed to make the most of it. Connecting to a mentor and an industry coach helped Jyoti break out of her shell through networking and building relationships. Learning was about the soft and technical skills and how to apply them. ​

It has had a huge and positive impact providing the means to plan for the future, take care of medical bills, and help support her extended family. Jyoti now has the foundation but realizes this is just the start and is grateful for TechFluent and support system. Jyoti is working at Elevate Digital and feels part of a larger culture that has opened all kinds of possibilities!​

“Just because you have a health challenge or a lack if a degree, does not mean you have less value. It’s not about being perfect, as much as it is to get everyday and make the most of the opportunity in front of you.”