Suhey Dominguez
"It’s well worth it. It is a struggle to save up...but you’ve got to look at the future and the accomplishment at the end of the road."
Suhey Dominguez doesn’t give up. During high school she lived in a group home and after 11th grade she left school. She’s been on her own since age 17. Now, at 23, Suhey has earned her GED, graduated from the Latin American Youth Center’s YouthBuild program, and enrolled at Prince George’s Community College. At the same time she is working a full-time and a part-time job.
“Maybe in a little more than five years I’ll have my bachelor’s degree,” Suhey says. “That’s what I’m hoping and praying for. Hopefully I’ll be able to accomplish my goal before I hit 30.”
Suhey learned about CAAB when she was participating in YouthBuild, a program that helps young people who’ve left high school to study for and earn their GEDs while also learning construction skills building housing for low-income families. Suhey started saving $25 per month from her YouthBuild earnings in her Individual Development Account (IDA). Although she had taken the GED once before and failed, working with YouthBuild teachers helped Suhey pass on her second attempt in Spring 2006. After earning that credential, YouthBuild encouraged Suhey to learn more about fields she was interested in pursuing.
“I want to go to school for a bachelor’s in social work, so I got to go into the field and interview social workers. I got to see what they do every day.” Suhey decided on social work because of the meaningful role that social workers have played in her life.
“When I was in the group home we had a social worker and the way they impacted my life was important,” she explains. “When I was in the group home, I wasn’t committed to the justice system. I was there at will. I wanted to get myself straightened out because my mom and I had a lot of issues. The social worker took things personally and treated me well and really helped me. I had a social worker I could always go talk to. I want to be able to do that for someone else as well. I know a lot of kids from foster care who remember their wonderful social worker and I want to be that social worker.”
In the meantime, Suhey works as the receptionist and administrative assistant at a cleaning company and as a customer service representative at a shopping mall. So far through her IDA she’s saved more than $600, which she used to pay for her first class at Prince George’s Community College. She is pleased to report that she’s earned As and Bs on all her quizzes so far.
Born in DC, Suhey’s roots are in the Dominican Republic, where her mom is from and where most of her family still lives. She lived there for several years growing up and considers herself both American and Dominican. She speaks and reads Spanish fluently and goes back to the DR every year. She’s currently working to get a fiancé visa approved for her boyfriend, who is Dominican and lives in the DR.
In the United States, she’s still on her own. “I’m proud of myself but it’s hard sometimes,” Suhey says. “I cut back on going out. I’m trying to lose weight so I cut back on eating out. My main focus is I don’t want to be kicked out of the program. I’m at least able to take one class.”
”I love the class,” Suhey says. “My teacher is great. We do a lot online and he gives us the option to come into class and work with him. My teacher is there every step of the way so I really appreciate him. Everyone in my class works. They have their full-time jobs and go to school at night. It’s well worth it. It is a struggle to save up when you don’t have food in the fridge, but you’ve got to look at the future and the accomplishment at the end of the road."
