With new language skills, a job coach helps a community ‘feel seen’

This article was originally published by Verizon. The Verizon Skill Forward program is a collaboration between edX and Verizon aimed at providing tuition-free, career-enhancing online courses focused on high-demand skills to facilitate long-term career growth.

Ten years ago, Taylor Edmunds developed a love for advocacy work and Asian cultures during a high school mission trip to Southeast Asia. After the life-changing experience, she immersed herself in Asian studies and went on to build a career in service, working with victims of human trafficking and sexual assault. But Edmunds didn't forget her dream of working with Asian communities, and Chinese immigrants in particular.

In 2024, Edmunds got her chance. She found a job as a career coach and vocational coordinator at the Chinese Community Center in Houston, Texas, where she connects clients to free learning resources and helps them develop job readiness skills. "Houston has a large Chinese population and I wanted to work with that demographic," says Edmunds. "I knew it was important to learn the language."