St. Paul, MN, USA
After moving to the United States from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2022, Lumona joined the Healthcare Pathway at YouthBuild St. Paul Westside. He immediately set his sights on acquiring his Personal Care Assistant certification and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification, as well as finding a job to help support his family. He also wanted to get his driver’s license so he could get himself to work on his own.
Lumona did all of these things and more. He worked with program staff to study for his driver’s license test and CNA certification, and practiced his interviewing skills for his first ever job interview. On his first attempt at the CNA license test, he passed with flying colors for both skills and knowledge. He aced the interview and was hired at Living Well Disability Services as a Direct Support Professional, before he was promoted to a CNA.
Through all of this, other students in the YouthBuild St. Paul West Side program saw his motivation and determination. Lumona became an inspiration to other students that they too could set goals and succeed. Many students followed in his footsteps and got a job with Living Well, just like Lumona. Alongside his full time job, Lumona is now enrolled in pre-nursing courses at Century College. Program staff feel that Lumona has been an invaluable student leader and his impact will be felt as YouthBuild St. Paul West Side continues to grow.
