The meaning of family

By Erin Arnold
Staff Writer

When Juan Miranda was just 16 and a junior at JFK High School, his girlfriend got pregnant with their first daughter, Anel. For the first time in his life, Mr. Miranda found that his actions didn’t just affect him; they affected his new baby daughter.

“I really had to step up and take responsibility,” he said. “But it was hard to keep a job and stay in school.”

He took several different jobs, and quit most of them soon after he started. He worked as a Sprint representative and as a parking garage attendant. But he was unable to maintain a steady income and balance his schoolwork, so he dropped out of high school.

“I eventually got my GED when I was 18,” he said. “I was trying to do better for myself and my family.”

But his home life was still tumultuous. At 19, Mr. Miranda started experiencing problems with his family.

“I wasn’t listening to my mother,” he explained. “She worked full time and was tired at night, and we just fought a lot.”

Unable to handle the escalating pressures, Mr. Miranda moved away from his mother and into an apartment in the Bronx with his girlfriend. Still, the stress of stepping out into the world took its toll on him.

“I didn’t know how hard it would be,” he said. “And then, when I was 20, we had our second daughter, Aliyah.”

By this point, Mr. Miranda was unemployed and trying to help support his two young daughters. Complicating matters, he got into a fight with his girlfriend and ended up on the street.

“I was desperate because I had left my girlfriend and I had no job and no home,” he said.

Determined to turn things around, Mr. Miranda turned to Highbridge Community Life Center. He set up an appointment with Terrence Talley, job developer in the Employment Services department. Mr. Talley helped Mr. Miranda set up job interviews.

“I interviewed with St. Christopher-Ottilie, which is a group home for children,” he explained. “They offered me a job almost immediately. I work as a counselor for the kids and serve as a role model for them. We help get them enrolled in school and teach them to be good adults.”

A little while after getting the job at St. Christopher-Ottilie, Mr. Miranda reconciled with his girlfriend and made a conscious effort to give his daughters a more stable living environment.

“I kept coming back to see Mr. Talley about other opportunities,” he said, “and I got a second job at the Boys and Girls Club on Baychester Avenue.”

He also decided to give school another chance and enrolled in Monroe College, where he is now a junior. His daily schedule is grueling, filled with obligation, but he is committed to doing the best he can for his family.

“A typical day for me includes class from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; working at the Boys [and Girls] Club from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.; and on Mondays and Fridays, working at St. Christopher’s from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m; plus I work 16 hours at St. Christopher’s on the weekends,” he explained. “And of course I have my girls,” he said, referring to Anel, now 7 years old, and Aliyah, now 3 years old.

But Mr. Miranda, who is now 23, affirmed that he enjoys all of his work because he is always around kids and he loves dealing with people. And once he settled in to a routine, he returned to a passion he’s always had: singing and dancing.

“I took another job on Saturdays teaching hip hop, modern jazz, and tap at the Gullman School of Arts in Newark,” he said. “I also started taking advanced classes to improve my own skills.”

He dreams of one day breaking into the music industry and for now, is honing his dancing skills.

“I love to perform and my daughters come to watch me in shows,” he said. “My little one, Aliyah, loves to sing and dance and she imitates what she sees me do,” he said, then laughing.

Mr. Miranda has high hopes for his own daughter’s lives.

“I taught them to be honest with people, especially their parents,” he said. “I also want them to finish school and not have kids at such a young age like I did. But it all worked out for me. I was lucky and really benefited from the employment program at Highbridge, and I think other members of the community can too.”