The journey of Maria Goretti Mieites Alonso, from Galicia to a job at The Met
Communities thrive when everyone is equipped with the tools for success. New Women New Yorkers believes in the vast potential that every immigrant woman coming to New York has to contribute to our city, regardless of her national origin, cultural background, or educational level. Donate today to our campaign Support Immigrant Women to Enter the Workforce: https://support-immigrant-women.causevox.com
Introduce yourself: What’s your name, where are you from, and how long have you been living in New York?
My name is Maria Goretti Mieites Alonso. I am from Spain (Galicia) and I’ve been living here for one and a half years.
What was it like trying to find work when you arrived in New York?
Finding work in New York was difficult at the beginning, and not only because you have to adapt to a new country with a different language. You also have to face the fact that hiring managers are worried about resumes with only international experience. They don’t know if you can speak English properly, what your immigrant status is, or if you can adapt to US work culture.
How did you discover LEAD and what made you decide to join?
When I came to the US I began looking for specific resources for professional immigrant women, and there was not much available. I discovered the LEAD program offered by New Women New Yorkers at The New York Public Library. I decided to join LEAD because during my job search I realized that I would need to learn how to showcase my skills more effectively in order to get a job that I would love.
How did your participation in LEAD have an impact on your life? In particular, how did LEAD and other programs offered by New Women New Yorkers help you with looking for and securing a job in your field of interest? Share with us your successes since participating in LEAD!
The LEAD program provided the tools to write a great resume, to network properly, to succeed in a job interview, and many other things related to US work culture. But LEAD is more than that. It gave us a safe space where we were able to share our fears and hopes, a network of professional immigrant women that makes us feel we are not alone in our new country, and it helped us gain the self-confidence needed to succeed in our fields. You don’t realize how important this program is until you discover that after eight weeks, you have acquired amazing skills or improved skills that you forgot you had.
Thanks to NWNY, I’ve been able to get a great job at one of the most important cultural institutions on the planet: I am the Laboratory Coordinator of the Department of Scientific Research at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and I will always be grateful to the LEAD program and to Arielle Kandel for supporting me in all my professional endeavors.
What was it like adjusting to life in New York? What do you do in your spare time?
When you move to a new country, it’s a little bit difficult to adjust to the local customs, but I have to say that I’ve always felt welcomed by New Yorkers. This city has a lot to offer and it’s impossible to be bored. In my spare time, I love to visit New York museums and to go hiking. I think that the tristate area has some of the best National Parks in the US!
What is your favorite dish from your home country?
I love all the food from my home country, but I think that the seafood we have in the northwest of Spain is the best in the world!
Communities thrive when everyone is equipped with the tools for success. New Women New Yorkers believes in the vast potential that every immigrant woman coming to New York has to contribute to our city, regardless of her national origin, cultural background, or educational level. Donate today to our campaign Support Immigrant Women to Enter the Workforce: https://support-immigrant-women.causevox.com
