Meet Tatiana

Tenacious. Fearless. Tatiana Vargas, a former YouthLink client and member of the YouthLink peer outreach team, could be a case study in perseverance. “I arrived in Minnesota looking for a fresh start with two backpacks full of clothes and about $50,” says the Arizona native. “That’s all I had.” After arriving in Minneapolis at 24, she made her way to the Salvation Army’s Harbor Light shelter and started googling youth centers. Finding YouthLink, she was connected to several staff members who helped stabilize her housing and set her on the path to studying for her GED.

“The staff at YouthLink made everything easier for me,” she said. “They motivated me and reminded me to keep pushing. If it wasn’t for them…well, I just don’t know.” In one year, Vargas found an apartment in south Minneapolis, began working at YouthLink, received her GED and also secured one other document she proudly talks about. “I got a passport and I can’t wait to use it,” she says as she discusses her plans to visit Mexico.

“There was no secret sauce, Tatiana just showed up for months and put in the work,” says Jason Lavine, YouthLink’s Career Pathway and Education Center Manager. “She was always appreciative of the support she was getting and never took anything for granted.” After spending the summer working as a cabin counselor at the Salvation Army’s Northwoods Camp in Finlayson, Minnesota, she will be moving to Texas this fall. Vargas will be participating in a five week training program with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to become a corrections officer.

“I want to make a difference and have always been passionate about ensuring that people behind bars are treated humanely. Working as a peer outreach team member was good experience for that,” she says. “People who are incarcerated are still people. Everyone deserves a second chance.”