AACF congratulates youth client Michael on his recent employment offer as Expungement Clerk with the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, located in the Daley Center, downtown in the Chicago Loop. We are very proud of your accomplishments Michael!
Michael joined the AACF Youth Workforce Development Program in 2016, not long after graduating from Urban Prep High School located in Chicago’s Near West Side and hearing about the program from a high school friend. After learning about the Youth Workforce Development Program he called the office and made an appointment to come in and speak with Program Director Tami Yarborough. Tami discovered Michael’s interests with a pre-assessment test and paired him with a case manager who then placed him in a paid internship with State Farm as a customer service agent, answering phones and reaching out to customers to remind them of due dates and pre-qualify them for insurance.
After one year working as an intern at State Farm Michael was hired on permanently. When the firm closed Michael reached out to AACF again for job finding assistance and was connected with Allies Universal where he worked in security and later with a call center for Americash Loans.
When Michael experienced unemployment in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic began he reached out to AACF once again and was placed in a paid internship with the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County located in the Daley Center downtown in the Chicago Loop. Working as a case filer making sure that judges have their cases for the day he enjoyed the work and applied for a permanent position in June of last year. Last month Michael received a letter offering employment with the Clerk and was excited to accept the offer.
Currently Michael is in training for his new position, learning the ins and outs of the role by visiting the various courtrooms to get the broad overview of the Daley Center. He has taken creative writing courses at Indiana State College and uses his writing skills in his new role where he will assist judges in serving people who petition to have their records expunged, cleared and sealed. He is grateful for his new position working for Cook County and is excited for growth opportunities working in the Circuit Court.
Michael has referred several of his friends to the youth workforce development program and expresses his gratitude for the employment assistance he has received stating: “I feel AACF has helped me tremendously. I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am now if it weren’t for AACF.”