“I was with QCH Queens Center for Gay Seniors when it began, back when it was in Astoria. I’ve been coming outside to celebrate lgbtq+ pride since the first parade in Queens. This might be my last one, hopefully not, but here I am.”
"Having lived in Queens, 'the world’s borough' for a long time, as an immigrant, I really enjoy spending my time at QCH, where I've been able to take language classes and play table tennis.
“Prior to learning about QCH, I was a provider at another childcare network, At the time, I thought it was good that the providers were left to their own devices. We didn’t have much oversight, there wasn’t much direction, and we didn’t get much information.
“When I was a little girl, I wanted to be an artist, but I didn’t pursue those interests as an adult. When I retired from full-time work in 2017, I decided to find a way to reawaken some of that creative energy.
"About 15 years ago, I really got into painting. I always wanted to as a child, but my parents were very strict. They'd tell me: 'you're going to starve if you become an artist', so I became a chemist. Now that I'm retired, I do a lot of painting. I really enjoy it so much.
“I started working at QCH when I was 24 years old. At first, I figured I’d probably be here for about a week or two. It turned into 42 years and counting. It’s been such a pleasure working with everybody at QCH.
"At first, I thought I was never going to graduate from college. When I connected with QCH’s College Access and Success Program (CASP), they introduced me to important college programs and gave me guidance on helpful resources that I didn’t know about.
"During covid, just like everyone else, I felt alone and needed some sort of emotional and social support during these confined times. Access for Young Women (AFYW) was that support for me.
"One of the most important women in my life is my mother. She treats me and my sister so well, and she is such an inspiration to me when it comes to staying motivated and determined to succeed. She came to America when she was only 18 and went straight into working to make money.
"I have been a member of QCH's Access for Young Women (AFYW) program for some years now. At AFYW, our goals, dreams, our fears, and even our daily dose of complaining are put in conversation.
