Holding out a healing hand: YouthBuild alumni shares her healing process and the joy of healing others as a CNA

Most people are getting out of bed and preparing for their day at 7 a.m. But Maridania Rodriguez is already clocking in. 

From early in the morning, Maridania can be found on the second floor of the Park Crescent Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in East Orange, New Jersey, assisting the patients with their daily needs. The second floor is designated for rehabilitation patients — a floor that Maridania finds both sociable and unpredictable, two qualities Maridania loves. Some days, she helps shower her patients, ensures that they’re fed and clothed, and helps keep them engaged with their peers. She’s directly involved with the well-being and healing of her patients, making sure that this vulnerable period of their lives isn’t experienced in solitude. 

Without that intention, healing can be isolating - a concept Maridania is all too familiar with. 

For many, the COVID-19 pandemic was just that, isolating. This was especially true for Maridania, who already had a strained relationship with school since repeating the fifth grade and struggling academically. To make matters worse, she was also starting her freshman year of high school. New school, new teachers and new peers all met behind a screen. 

“In high school, that was when everything changed,” she said. “We were all in COVID, so no one really knew if you were in class or not. They just only cared if you did the work - and I didn't do the work. I was so depressed and I just didn't feel like being in class at that time, especially because it's on a computer while I'm alone in my house. And I'm looking at a computer with a bunch of people that I've never met in my life.”

She found out she had to repeat her freshman year through an email sent by her principal, which prompted her to speak with one of her teachers to find out why. The teacher wasn’t aware she was in his class - a fact he chalked up to her not speaking enough on the Zoom calls. 

Unfortunately, Maridania isn’t alone in her experience. Between 2019 and 2021, the national youth disconnection rate increased by 13.1 percent compared to the rate between 2010 and 2019.  

Her second year as a freshman was similar to the first, but it was during that year that Maridania realized the key issue behind her academic situation. She always thought she wasn’t a good fit for the school. But she never considered that the school wasn’t a good fit for her. 

“I did not like doing school at all,” said Maridania. “I never enjoyed school, especially my old school. We had a curriculum that was focused only on college prep, so it wasn’t about finding something you enjoy, it was just something you had to do. I felt like I wouldn’t be appreciated until I was good at something.” 

After taking a hard look at her test scores and GPA, she began to question why they were low and what the source of the problem was. After some necessary introspection, she was hit with several realizations. One, she didn’t know how to study. And two, she didn’t know how to ask for help. With this newfound knowledge, she was finally willing to find those solutions elsewhere. 

Thankfully, Maridania found her “elsewhere” at LEAD Charter School. 

“I was in a school where your only option after high school was to go to a four-year college, but that wasn’t necessarily something I wanted to do. When I came to LEAD, they talked about all of the different paths I could take and still have a great life - college, vocational training, apprenticeships. It was such a different way of life, I just fell in love with it.”

While most of the emphasis of public education over the last several decades has been exclusively on college readiness, the need for a diversity of pathways for young people has become increasingly popular. LEAD Charter School is a public, alternative high school that implements the YouthBuild education model combined with workforce development. Governor Murphy recently signed the NJ YouthBuild Act into law, which would not only support existing YouthBuild programs but also help create more programs statewide.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Opportunity Youth Network Robert Clark added, “Stories like Maridania’s are the heart of YouthBuild and we are incredibly proud of how she has transformed her life. However, her story also serves as a reminder that thousands of other young people throughout the state remain disconnected from school and the workforce. This is why the recent passage of the NJ YouthBuild Act is so critical - instead of reinventing the wheel, we must invest in evidence-based programs that have a track record of making a difference in the lives of young people just like Maridania.”

For Maridania, LEAD allowed her to focus on what needed healing, both academically and personally. And in that process, she discovered her love of helping others heal, setting her on the pathway to a career in Allied Health.

Those within the Allied Health track at LEAD also have the opportunity to enter The Training Fund at District 1199J’s apprenticeship program and Maridania graduated with her CPR, Certified Medical Assistant, and Certified Nursing Assistant certifications. The Fund helped place her in her current position at the rehabilitation center and she is currently studying for her associate's degree in nursing at Essex County Community College, Monday through Thursday. 

Back in 2020, Maridania felt isolated behind a screen. Now, because there was a YouthBuild program available to her when she sought a different path, she is helping others work their way back to wholeness - extending a healing hand and embracing all that life has in front of her.