Meet Thais, a LEAD graduate from Brazil who landed a job in the middle of the pandemic
The networking skills learned at NWNY workforce development sessions came in handy to secure a meaningful job in her field
By Allie Ginwala
Thais Katagiri was working toward a master’s in Economics at Fundação Getulio Vargas in São Paulo, Brazil, when her husband’s job was transferred to New York City. They moved in August 2019 and she had to figure out a way to balance studying for her degree with adjusting to her new life in New York. Her first step was looking for a volunteer position in the city, which led her to New Women New Yorkers (NWNY). She didn’t get the role, but found out about LEAD, NWNY’s workforce development program, and decided to enroll. “When I started going to New Women New Yorkers I could finally meet so many women that were in exactly the same situation that I was. They came here, had no job, no friends, [and] you kind of feel lost. It was helpful for me.”
Balancing studying for a degree with volunteering and finding a job was taxing for her, which was only amplified by the pandemic.“It was a bad moment … [everywhere] was just firing people. But I was still trying and I was sending resumes,” she said. “I was doing a lot of networking and it is so tiring. And I was like, I’m going to send my resume and if I get an interview I can practice. Or to connect with somebody. But it’s so much effort not to feel drained.”
A friend Thais met through NWNY introduced her to the Brazil Foundation and soon she started to volunteer there. Before the pandemic hit, Thais had been traveling to Brazil two months out of the year in order to do her master’s classes in person. But when that option closed, she went to her boss at the Brazil Foundation and said “I’m staying here, I can do more work.” Now, she is the Manager of Donor Services, Finance and Administration, which she worked hard to secure for herself. At first she was offered roles within donor services and then bookkeeping, but she was set on finance. “I said, I really have to do something with finance, I don’t want to go too far away from my experience,” she said. “When I got the job I sent Arielle [Kandel, NWNY founder] a message to let her know the program worked because it was through the network!”
Finding a community of women who have similar experiences and may be facing the same struggles is one of the biggest benefits of LEAD, Thais said. “I advise everyone to go. It’s a really good place to make friends. Believe me, you are going to learn.” One of the most useful parts of the program for the job searching process was going to a NWNY mock interview session. She was able to have one-on-one conversations with a career counselor in her field and prepare her elevator pitch.
Thais knows first hand that finding your way when you first come to New York City can be discouraging, but that getting involved or reaching out to someone can make a huge impact. “You know, the happiest day was when someone reached out to me instead of [me] reaching out to them,” she said. “Especially now it’s a very difficult time. Don’t give up. Even if it’s not the perfect job, it is a start.”
