Meet Radasha, Emerge Career’s First Female CDL Graduate in NYC

At 20 years old, Radasha faced a turning point that would define her next chapter. A gun charge led to her arrest and two weeks at Rikers Island while she was still in college. That time shattered the momentum she'd built, but it also became her wake-up call. Years of moving past that record and showing up consistently at work proved something important to her: there's light at the end of the tunnel. For eight years, she drove small box trucks, staying stable and keeping her head down. When she discovered Emerge Career's CDL program, she knew it was time to level up. Radasha was surviving on $2,200 a month in unemployment benefits while covering $2,300 in rent alone, watching her dreams stay out of reach.

The road to her CDL wasn't smooth. Radasha lost her grandmother during training, her biggest source of motivation and encouragement. Her uncle followed shortly after, and depression nearly pulled her under. But Radasha kept showing up. She showed up to every single training session, tackled tough skills like backing maneuvers, rescheduled her DOT card appointment, and pushed through the self-doubt. When she hit obstacles with exam scheduling and pre-trip inspections, she leaned on the support around her and kept fighting. On October 6th, 2025, Radasha became the first woman to graduate from Emerge Career's CDL program in New York City. She earned her Commercial Driver's License and with it, access to jobs that pay significantly more than the unemployment she'd been surviving on. Radasha is now job searching and ready to try long-haul trucking, turning her decade-old dream into her reality.

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