Before coming to the United States, Meron Cash spent most of her childhood in orphanages in Ethiopia. She was the oldest of her siblings and learned early in life to be disciplined and responsible for her family. At the orphanage, Meron would help other girls with their hair, uniforms and day-to-day responsibilities.
Even before she went to an orphanage at age 8, Meron had always been responsible for caring for her siblings and mother, helping her mother raise the children and take care of the home.
At age 15, Meron was adopted and moved to Virginia. She was excited to finally have a stable family life, home and, most of all, an education in the United States.
Some of her greatest culture shocks included the language barrier, food and interacting with people in her age group.
“A lot about teenage American life was unfamiliar to me—how they dressed, interacted with people and had fun. Fun was something that took a long time to understand,” Meron said. “Food was another huge culture shock, especially cheese. It’s on everything!”
Meron received homeschooling from her adoptive parents, but knew she wanted more. She moved to Vestal, N.Y., for a couple of years, balancing work at Dunkin’ Donuts and studying for the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC), a high school equivalency exam.
Family friends who knew her situation recommended Job Corps. At first, Meron only considered Job Corps because her goal of going straight to college wasn’t achievable until she earned a high school diploma. However, as she tried to balance 40–60 hours of work a week combined with TASC studying, Meron soon realized she needed to make a change.
“I was desperate for education and every opportunity Job Corps could provide.”
Understanding she struggled with change and needing extra reassurance, Meron reached out to Oneonta Job Corps Center to schedule a tour of campus before enrolling. From her first visit, Meron knew Job Corps was exactly where she needed to be.
Seven other female students joined Job Corps the same day Meron did and became “like sisters.” Although Meron didn’t always feel that she fit in with other students, she always knew her “input sisters” were there for each other. Meron even helped them with their hair, reminding her of caring for her sisters and children at the orphanage. They still keep in touch over social media today.
To cope with the culture changes and balancing her training and education, Meron found inspiration in creating vision boards and placing quotes and notes of encouragement around her room.
After her first month on campus, Meron started feeling doubtful if Job Corps was the right decision. One day, an instructor noticed her stressfully creating a schedule and task list in the hall between classes and said, “I can’t wait to see you in my class later!”
Meron couldn’t believe how much the staff and instructors truly cared about her well-being.
After a lifetime of caring for others and seeing the need, Meron always knew she wanted to work in health care. Once she completed her high school education, she began training in the Clinical Medical Assistant program.
Oneonta Job Corps staff helped her with every step of the transition from student life to the workforce, from her job application materials to setting up interviews with employers, and even finding an apartment.
Today, Meron works as a lab technician and phlebotomist at A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital, the company she always kept on her vision board throughout her training. She dreams of eventually becoming a registered nurse or clinical psychologist.
“I compared myself to classmates who had experience in a classroom, who could work faster and smarter than me; but if you have the will to work hard, nothing can stop you. Sometimes I got zoned into my current struggles, and it could be depressing and feel impossible. Keep looking toward the big picture and your future. For me, something as simple as seeing someone else in scrubs was a reminder to keep going.”
Graduated from Job Corps in: 2021 Employer: Lab Technician and Phlebotomist at A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital in Oneonta, New York Hometown: Ethiopia Phone: 607-321-5410 Email: meroncash@gmail.com Submitted by: Lydia Henry Notes:
Source: Oneonta Job Corps Center