Riding the Struggle-Bus
It started at the gym. Jonathan House resident Pascal and volunteer Eric became workout buddies, and while they exercised, Pascal shared about his housemates’ struggles to get to work without a driver’s license or car. He said, “I could see my housemates waking up at 3 a.m. for a 6 a.m. shift” so they could catch the bus. Pascal knew these guys were smart and hardworking; it was a hard to see them spend so much time struggling to travel to subpar jobs.
The struggle hit home when Pascal himself received permission to work and began applying for jobs. Pascal worked with robots in his home country and hoped for a job in his field but was limited to applying for lesser jobs on a bus line. Without a license and car, his brilliance would go untapped. Even grocery shopping was complicated: “You may need to go multiple times a week because you can’t carry much on the bus,” he said.
A Community-Driven Solution
Pascal noticed a lack of driver’s education programs accessible to immigrants. The existing resources were expensive and not tailored to the needs of immigrant adults. This gap inspired Pascal and Eric to create Change Drivers, a non-profit helping new Americans access transportation and career opportunities. Pascal dedicated his time while still at Jonathan House to making Change Drivers a reality. He is now a co-founder and board member.
nspired by Jonathan House, which provided him safe and stable housing, Pascal aims to offer similar support through Change Drivers. “Knowing that I’m helping others in my situation motivates me,” he said. As Change Drivers enters its second year, Pascal has received his driver’s license, purchased a car, begun work and moved out from Jonathan House. He hopes both Change Drivers and Jonathan House continue growing, helping more new Americans offer their gifts in our community.
Change drivers is already making a big impact on the lives of other immigrants. One recent student said this: “Getting my license means everything to me because I can finally do what I’ve always wanted to do. I can be dependable, travel the world, help those around me.”
Immigrant Brilliance
Asylum-seeking neighbors come from all around the world, with every kind of background you can imagine, but they all have this in common: they are problem-solvers. With the deck stacked enormously against them, our friends must be creative and resourceful to rebuild their lives from scratch. Pascal, like many other immigrants, has put his brilliance to work creating solutions that benefit the whole community. We are so grateful to know and celebrate brilliant immigrants like Pascal!