For years, Julissa Ceballos poured herself into raising her children while living with fibromyalgia, nerve damage and chronic pain.
Her illness affected her mobility, her ability to create art and even the way she saw herself.
“I was sitting at home, you know, doom and gloom, thinking, ‘What am I going to do with my life?’” Julissa recalled. “My kids are getting older. What else can I do?”
Before becoming ill, Julissa had been active. She was the mom cheering from the sidelines at soccer games, playing with her children and spending time ice skating—one of her favorite activities.
As her health deteriorated, much of that stopped.
“My illness made me sort of cocoon myself and hide myself from people,” she said.
But eventually, Julissa decided she needed to try something new.
Choosing a “Year of Yes”
When Julissa received an email from her school district about a teacher’s aide training program, she saw an opportunity to begin moving forward.
There was just one problem: she worried that her computer skills were no longer strong enough for the modern workplace.
Although she knew how to use social media, it had been years since she had worked with programs commonly used in an office. Technology and numbers had never felt like her strengths. Julissa had always considered herself more artistic than technical.
While participating in the teacher’s aide program, she learned about CanCode Communities.
Taking the next step terrified her.
“I was also terrified simply of looking dumb in the class,” she said. “Going back to study, I didn’t know if I could do it.”
Still, Julissa decided that this would be her “year of yes.”
“It is not something that I would ever do normally,” she said. “But I made it my year of yes.”
“Oh My God, I Can Do This”
It did not take long for Julissa’s fear to begin turning into confidence.
After only one or two classes, she started to realize she was capable of more than she had imagined.
Her instructor and mentor, Delma, played an important role in that transformation.
“She would give me little talks like, ‘Girl, you got this. You have so much potential,’” Julissa said.
After years of primarily seeing herself as a mother and caregiver, those words mattered.
“I gave myself completely into raising my children,” she explained. “You don’t see yourself in any other way.”
Delma helped Julissa recognize skills and possibilities she could not yet see in herself.
“After the second class, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I can do this. I can really do this. I can make a career out of this. I can find a way.’”
Building Skills for the Modern Workplace
Through CanCode Communities, Julissa developed practical digital skills that helped her feel prepared to return to work.
She learned how to use Outlook and Microsoft Teams, create résumés and presentations, communicate professionally through email and navigate the technology used in today’s workplaces.
Those may sound like everyday tasks, but for someone returning to the workforce after years away, they can become significant barriers.
“It helped me tremendously,” Julissa said. “She showed me how to communicate through it and not feel so insecure.”
The experience also changed the way Julissa thought about technology.
“It’s just a machine,” she learned to remind herself. “It’s okay.”
Showing Her Children What Is Possible
Julissa’s transformation has affected more than her career.
It has allowed her children to see another side of their mother.
“It’s made me make my kids proud,” she said. “They’ve seen all the changes I’ve made.”
Julissa remains deeply proud of being a mother, but she also wanted her children to see that she could continue learning, growing and pursuing new opportunities.
“I wanted them to see that I could do much more and that it’s possible, even when you’re older.”
Following her training, Julissa was able to return to the workforce. Just as importantly, the experience improved her mental health, restored her confidence and gave her a renewed vision for her future.
Her story demonstrates why access to digital education matters.
People do not always lack talent, ambition or determination. Sometimes they need training, encouragement and someone who can help them believe that they belong.
Help Someone Else Take the First Step
Julissa took a chance during her “year of yes.”
A donation to CanCode Communities can help another parent, career changer or community member take their own first step toward new skills, confidence and opportunity.
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