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Dear Yolanda: I am writing to express my interest in the Discharge Planner position. I believe that my skills and experience would make me a qualified candidate. In my social service experience, I have worked with diverse groups such as at-risk youths, the criminal justice population, and those living with HIV/AIDS. Working with each of these communities, I have encountered unique challenges which provided me the opportunity to grow and effectively provide services. I demonstrated the ability to listen and communicate with people on all educational levels and showed sensitivity towards cultural differences. At the New York State Department of Corrections (DOC), I worked with at-risk youth to help them identify behavior patterns. I dealt with challenging situations such as rebellious or dismissive teens who rejected participating in the Youth Assistance Program. In order to effectively communicate, I had to listen while also demonstrating strong boundaries. Our program collected personal information about our clients. I gained their trust by explaining why we needed this information and how it would be used. I worked well with all nine staff members. Prior to my role as a facilitator at DOC, I worked as a Transitional Service Coordinator. I assisted clients with their job search preparedness by teaching how to decode the classified section of a newspaper and by facilitating groups with their search for employment based on their experience, skills and qualifications. I also taught courses to groups of 16 – 18 clients on job interviewing and obtaining RAP sheets. I also interned at the Fortune Society with a program that matches our clients, all of whom have a criminal justice background, to subsidized internships in their field of interest. I kept track of all interns who were placed with employers, start dates, end dates, schedules, and salaries. Every two weeks, I collected timesheets from employers and distributed paychecks to interns. I organized and filed personal data, scheduled meetings between applicants and my supervisor and entered case notes into our database. We built strong working relationships between interns and employers as well as with the judicial system (parole officers, probation officers and etc). As a client of College Initiative, a program at Fortune Society, I give back to the program and incoming students by volunteering to mentor participants and encourage them to enroll and stay focused on academic goals within school. Before mentoring, I volunteered to speak with students in groups of 8 -11 about my active college life and my journey here, explaining the importance of course requirements and time management. I advised incoming students, those who may qualify for financial aid about utilizing and managing their financial aid dollars. In August 2008, I received a certificate for HIV/AIDS Peer Educator training from The Northern Regional Center for Independent Living (NRCL). I earned this certificate by demonstrating my knowledge of HIV/AIDS during a presentation on mother to child transmission. After graduating, I taught groups of 15 to 20 people about prevention, high risk and low risk body fluids, risky behaviors, HIV’s effects on the immune system, testing methods, medications, and living with HIV/AIDS. During these presentations I used visual aids such as flip charts, white boards and chalk boards as well as handouts. I would welcome the opportunity to meet you in person to learn more about your program. I can be reached at (646) 657-7436. All the Best, David Gaskin

Dear Yolanda: I am writing to express my interest in the Discharge Planner position. I believe that my skills and experience would make me a qualified candidate. In my social service experience, I have worked with diverse groups such as at-risk youths, the criminal justice population, and those living with HIV/AIDS. Working with each of these communities, I have encountered unique challenges which provided me the opportunity to grow and effectively provide services. I demonstrated the ability to listen and communicate with people on all educational levels and showed sensitivity towards cultural differences. At the New York State Department of Corrections (DOC), I worked with at-risk youth to help them identify behavior patterns. I dealt with challenging situations such as rebellious or dismissive teens who rejected participating in the Youth Assistance Program. In order to effectively communicate, I had to listen while also demonstrating strong boundaries. Our program collected personal information about our clients. I gained their trust by explaining why we needed this information and how it would be used. I worked well with all nine staff members. Prior to my role as a facilitator at DOC, I worked as a Transitional Service Coordinator. I assisted clients with their job search preparedness by teaching how to decode the classified section of a newspaper and by facilitating groups with their search for employment based on their experience, skills and qualifications. I also taught courses to groups of 16 – 18 clients on job interviewing and obtaining RAP sheets. I also interned at the Fortune Society with a program that matches our clients, all of whom have a criminal justice background, to subsidized internships in their field of interest. I kept track of all interns who were placed with employers, start dates, end dates, schedules, and salaries. Every two weeks, I collected timesheets from employers and distributed paychecks to interns. I organized and filed personal data, scheduled meetings between applicants and my supervisor and entered case notes into our database. We built strong working relationships between interns and employers as well as with the judicial system (parole officers, probation officers and etc). As a client of College Initiative, a program at Fortune Society, I give back to the program and incoming students by volunteering to mentor participants and encourage them to enroll and stay focused on academic goals within school. Before mentoring, I volunteered to speak with students in groups of 8 -11 about my active college life and my journey here, explaining the importance of course requirements and time management. I advised incoming students, those who may qualify for financial aid about utilizing and managing their financial aid dollars. In August 2008, I received a certificate for HIV/AIDS Peer Educator training from The Northern Regional Center for Independent Living (NRCL). I earned this certificate by demonstrating my knowledge of HIV/AIDS during a presentation on mother to child transmission. After graduating, I taught groups of 15 to 20 people about prevention, high risk and low risk body fluids, risky behaviors, HIV’s effects on the immune system, testing methods, medications, and living with HIV/AIDS. During these presentations I used visual aids such as flip charts, white boards and chalk boards as well as handouts. I would welcome the opportunity to meet you in person to learn more about your program. I can be reached at (646) 657-7436. All the Best, David Gaskin

David Gaskin 232 Lexington Ave • Brooklyn, NY 11216 • (646) 657-7436 •gaskin.david@rocketmail.com Objective: The opportunity to utilize my skills, experience and work ethnics as a contribution towards your company, while learning new skills that will allow me to advance. EDUCATION New York City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY 2010 – Present Major: Human Services Northern Regional Gouverneur, NY 2008 Certificate: HIV/AIDS Peer Educator Training New York State Education Department Albany, NY 2001 General Equivalency Diploma PROFESSIONAL HISTORY Employment Services Intern 7/2010 – 10/2010 The Fortune Society Queens, NY • Coordinated intern’s time sheets and work schedules using Microsoft Excel • Filed, organized and maintained employment information in database • Entered case notes about clients internship progress and work-related events • Researched resumes and conducted outreach to set up face-to-face meetings • Conducted interviews with clients, following a standardized questionnaire • Planned group meetings for up to 15 interns and one-on-one meetings between interns and Employment Coordinator • Liaised between employers and interns to collect time sheets and client performance surveys Group Facilitator/Peer Counselor 2008 – 2009 New York State Department of Corrections Gouverneur, NY • Introduced Aggression Replacement Training (ART) to up to 20 students • Utilized public speaking, Microsoft Power point and whiteboards during presentations • Led groups on anger management utilizing ART and Anger Control Techniques • Involved groups in role play situations utilizing the 10 Structured Learning Skills • Tested participants on their comprehension of the ART program by administering a midterm and final exam • Monitored attendance and client participation in group activities Transitional Service Coordinator 2006 -2008 New York State Department of Corrections Gouverneur, NY • Coordinated groups of 12-18 on successful re-entry from incarceration to society • Referred clients to outside agencies to assist with job skills training and placement, housing and substance abuse treatment • Taught courses on effective resume writing, writing cover letters and job searching • Created a mock job interview lesson to assist clients with building job interviewing skills • Met one-on-one with clients to assist with obtaining necessary documents such as birth certificates, social security cards and driver’s licenses • Assisted clients with obtaining legal documents such as RAP sheets and divorce papers

David Gaskin 232 Lexington Ave • Brooklyn, NY 11216 • (646) 657-7436 •gaskin.david@rocketmail.com Objective: The opportunity to utilize my skills, experience and work ethnics as a contribution towards your company, while learning new skills that will allow me to advance. EDUCATION New York City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY 2010 – Present Major: Human Services Northern Regional Gouverneur, NY 2008 Certificate: HIV/AIDS Peer Educator Training New York State Education Department Albany, NY 2001 General Equivalency Diploma PROFESSIONAL HISTORY Employment Services Intern 7/2010 – 10/2010 The Fortune Society Queens, NY • Coordinated intern’s time sheets and work schedules using Microsoft Excel • Filed, organized and maintained employment information in database • Entered case notes about clients internship progress and work-related events • Researched resumes and conducted outreach to set up face-to-face meetings • Conducted interviews with clients, following a standardized questionnaire • Planned group meetings for up to 15 interns and one-on-one meetings between interns and Employment Coordinator • Liaised between employers and interns to collect time sheets and client performance surveys Group Facilitator/Peer Counselor 2008 – 2009 New York State Department of Corrections Gouverneur, NY • Introduced Aggression Replacement Training (ART) to up to 20 students • Utilized public speaking, Microsoft Power point and whiteboards during presentations • Led groups on anger management utilizing ART and Anger Control Techniques • Involved groups in role play situations utilizing the 10 Structured Learning Skills • Tested participants on their comprehension of the ART program by administering a midterm and final exam • Monitored attendance and client participation in group activities Transitional Service Coordinator 2006 -2008 New York State Department of Corrections Gouverneur, NY • Coordinated groups of 12-18 on successful re-entry from incarceration to society • Referred clients to outside agencies to assist with job skills training and placement, housing and substance abuse treatment • Taught courses on effective resume writing, writing cover letters and job searching • Created a mock job interview lesson to assist clients with building job interviewing skills • Met one-on-one with clients to assist with obtaining necessary documents such as birth certificates, social security cards and driver’s licenses • Assisted clients with obtaining legal documents such as RAP sheets and divorce papers