Lessons from an Employment Program

By Maria Morales

Sometimes in life, it feels like we are in a catapult where we are pulled back before we can go forward. It is often adversity that creates the tension needed to release the energy that thrusts us forward and lets us reach higher. This is a metaphor that Shahina Suleman, Program Manager at PTP Adult Learning and Employment Programs, loves to use when talking about what the Elevate program does for its participants. In the program that she leads, many students overcome difficult situations with resilience and adaptability. We all can use difficult experiences as the energy to project us forward. Let us analyze the physics of the catapult of life that many students in this employment program have experienced.

The tension generated by b