Sthephany Ponce

The path to a career in technology is rarely a straight line. It is often a series of starts, stops, and lateral moves. For Sthephany Ponce, the foundation was already there—she held a bachelor’s degree in computer science—but the bridge between her education and a career seemed to be missing.

Despite her degree, Sthephany found herself managing her mother’s supermarket. While she was skilled at running the store, a sense of professional unease began to grow. She knew her potential lay elsewhere, but the walls of the tech industry felt high and difficult to scale.

“Tech has always been a part of me… I knew I wanted to get into the field one way or another.”

The challenge wasn’t a lack of interest; it was a lack of access. Without a portfolio of real-world readiness, her degree felt like a key that didn’t quite fit the lock.

“The biggest challenge was my lack of experience and overall job readiness,” she says. Facing struggles and a narrowing window of opportunity, Sthephany reached a turning point. “I will admit that starting the program felt like my last resort to break into tech.”

When Sthephany enrolled in Per Scholas Los Angeles, she found more than just technical labs—she found an environment that prioritized the person as much as the practitioner. In an industry that often demands a lot, the culture at Per Scholas offered something different: room to grow.

“The staff did a wonderful job of making me feel welcome,” Sthephany shares. “The instructors truly cared about the knowledge we were gaining as well as our readiness for the job market.”

While the technical training was rigorous, Sthephany found that the most transformative growth happened in her soft skills. Per Scholas pushed her to translate her knowledge into the language of the workforce through mock interviews and professional development.

“I became more confident in what I know and also learned how to properly prepare for interviews,” she notes. “Per Scholas prepared me for the workforce by exposing us to real labs… it really helped calm my nerves.”

The impact of that preparation became tangible almost immediately after graduation. Sthephany successfully bridged the gap, landing a role as an IT Help Desk Analyst at Vallarta Supermarkets HQ in Santa Clarita, California.

The transition from managing a local store to supporting a major corporate infrastructure was a full-circle moment. Suddenly, the abstract concepts from the classroom were being applied to solve real-world problems.

“So far, I have encountered multiple real-life problems that were shown in the classroom as labs,” Sthephany says. “I even shared with my classmates how a specific term we learned was being used in a real work setting, which was wonderful to see.”

For Sthephany, the change is more than just a job title; it is a shift in the entire trajectory of her life. The strain has eased, and the “uneasy feeling” about her future has been replaced by a clear, ambitious path forward. Whether she eventually specializes in Cybersecurity or Networking, she now has the momentum to choose her own direction.

Sthephany witnesses the ripple effect of her success extend to her family and her community, proving that when one person is given the tools to succeed, an entire support system rises with them.

“My family has been overjoyed knowing that I am now gaining experience and have the opportunity to grow from this,” she says. 

Her advice to those standing where she once stood is simple: “It’s okay to start wherever you are in life. If someone is considering Per Scholas, it means they believe in themselves—and Per Scholas will believe in them too.”