The Colocho family emigrated from El Salvador in 2018 to escape the rampant violence of their homeland, joining their father in the Mission District of San Francisco. Like all immigrants, they sought a better life, which translates to building generational wealth. That often starts with finding a good job as the pathway to a well-paying career.
All members of the Colocho family have availed themselves of MEDA’s free services, with the family patriarch the past two years doing his taxes at Plaza Adelante, the organization’s neighborhood center.
Additionally, MEDA’s Workforce Development team has worked with all three Colocho sons, with resumes improved, mock interviews conducted and job connections made.
Guillermo took part in the seven-week <Mission Admins course, which puts community members on the path to becoming an administration professional or financial-sector worker. Six months ago, this led to his gaining employment as a cashier at Gus’s Market in the Mission, the store owners pleased that MEDA sent a pre-screened jobseeker their way. Guillermo was coached by the MEDA Workforce Development team on soft skills, such as how to offer a great customer experience; these customer interactions are helping Guillermo better his English skills daily, which is one of his goals.
With the success of that local hire, sibling Oswaldo just joined his brother — and the Gus’s team — at the popular Mission District market.
Meanwhile, brother Wilson was busy participating in the Mission Techies program, looking to join San Francisco’s booming tech sector. Having completed the course, he is being prepared for interviews to become a technician, with a good prospect, as he has an upcoming interview.
Wilson stops by MEDA twice a week to refurbish computers from in-kind donations. This keeps his skills fresh, as he gives back to the Mission community. Think of it as a social enterprise model.
The MEDA family works hard each day to strengthen our Mission families.
Says Oswaldo (photo, right), “Being part of MEDA has been a great support for our family. We have all taken advantage of the free services — such as free tax preparation, plus Mission Admins and Mission Techies trainings — as well as affordable-housing support. I have been recommending MEDA services to people I know, because they really care about the Mission community’s well-being.”
Echoes brother Guillermo (photo, left), “The support I have received from MEDA has been the key to improving the quality of our lives. MEDA referred me to 5 Keys to get my GED, trained me in the Mission Admins program where I learned Microsoft Office and Google Suite, and helped me find a job at Gus’s Market. MEDA’s Jose Mariscal helped me with my resume and cover letter, and got me ready for the interview.”
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If you are interested in free job training at Mission Neighborhood Access Point, please contact us at (415) 282-3334 ext. 160; workforce@medasf.org.
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