Feb 12, 2019

Meet Sandra: Associate Profile

“I came to the United States about eight years ago . . . because my husband was doing an MBA. So I came with him and three little kids and almost no English,” says Sandra, looking back on her life.
 
When Sandra and her family first moved to the United States from Brazil, they were only planning to live in the U.S. for two years. However, when her husband finished school, other opportunities arose, and they decided to stay.
 
Until recently, Sandra was a stay-at-home mom. When her kids got a little older, she decided she wanted to start her own career. However, she faced many challenges: she wasn’t confident in her English, she’d been out of the workforce for a long time, and she’d never worked in the U.S. 
 
At Deseret Industries, Sandra has been able to get job training as well as work on her language skills. “Working in the store forced me to speak. That helped me a lot,” she says.
 
Sandra’s other goal was to become a real estate agent. Many friends and neighbors warned Sandra that passing the real estate test would be hard. “I knew that it wasn’t easy, but I wanted to do it. And DI helped me. . . . DI paid for my books, for my class, and for the tests,” she says. “And I did it. I passed my test, I got my license, and I already have a company to work with.”
 
“I feel valuable,” she says. “I can contribute—in my life, in my family’s lives, in the community, in this country, and that’s incredible. I think this program is amazing. I’m just thankful—that’s all I can say.”