Sandra, a 33-year-old former immigration lawyer from Mexico, relocated to San Ysidro with her husband and started a new career by enrolling in a dental assisting program through the San Diego Workforce Partnership. After finishing her training, she quickly moved up from third assistant to lead assistant and is now working toward earning her RDA certification. Below, she shares her struggle with loss, depression, and resilience, ultimately finding a better future for her family.
In Mexico, I was an immigration lawyer, but after moving to San Diego, I felt free to follow my dreams. Back home, you needed a university degree to survive financially, but here, I realized I could choose a career that aligned with who I truly am. I could do what I really wanted to do and be around people in a way that felt meaningful.
My first jobs in the U.S. were in accounting and business operations, but they weren’t long-term careers, and just as we were settling into life in San Diego, everything changed. I got pregnant in March 2020, and seven months later, our baby passed away. The grief was suffocating. I fell into a deep depression, and no matter what I tried, I couldn’t find happiness or motivation.
We moved to Victorville that same year, hoping a fresh start would help me heal and give me a second chance at becoming a mother. But even after my son was born, the heaviness never fully lifted. I longed to return to San Diego, but we couldn’t afford it. My husband was the only one working because my pregnancy was high-risk. In Victorville, we could survive on one income. In San Diego, that would have never been possible. If we were going to move back, we both needed good jobs.
When my son turned one, something inside me shifted again. I finally felt ready to work, ready to step out of the darkness and start rebuilding my life. I began searching online for schools and training programs, hoping for a path that would give us the income we needed to return home.
That’s when I found the San Diego Workforce Partnership. I sent an email, not knowing what to expect, and they called me back right away. They told me I qualified for training support. At a time when I was overwhelmed, isolated and unsure of myself, it felt like God had placed something in my path exactly when I needed it.
I enrolled in a dental assistant certification program in downtown San Diego. For the first month, I drove from Victorville to the school, an hour each way, determined to make it work. SDWP helped pay for gas, travel and the certifications I needed. That support removed barriers that could have stopped me before I even started. After a while, we were finally able to secure an apartment in San Ysidro, bringing us one step closer to rebuilding the life we wanted.
During my training, I found joy again. I loved soothing nervous patients, explaining procedures and helping people feel safe. I loved preparing instruments and keeping the office running smoothly.
Everything came together quickly. As soon as I finished the program, I got a job. I started as a third assistant, then moved up to second, and eventually became a lead assistant. Even when I stopped working during my third pregnancy, my employer committed to paying for my Registered Dental Assistant certification so I could keep growing in my career.
Today, after so much uncertainty, I am finally in a place where I feel proud, stable and fulfilled. Workforce development didn’t just give me training, it helped me reclaim my life, my confidence and my future.