How a Janitorial Job Led a Manor College Graduate to Public Policy

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Kimberly Alfaro Jimenez (Philadelphia, Academy at Palumbo) graduates from Manor College with her Associate’s Degree in Public Policy.

Kimberly Alfaro Jimenez calls “trash duty” at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia the worst task you can be assigned. It requires the worker to pick up dirty linens, remove trash and clean up rooms throughout the hospital. 

During one duty shift, Alfaro Jimenez walked into a patient’s room, introduced herself in English and began collecting the trash. The family in the room had been playing Spanish-language gospel music. Unconsciously, she began singing the songs to herself. 

The family gasped and replied in their native tongue, “You can speak Spanish!” They were from Colombia on a family vacation when they needed care for their son. They’d been trying to find an interpreter, but because of time constraints, the hospital hadn’t been able to locate one quickly. 

Alfaro Jimenez obliged. Soon, others from her team came to help –they brought homemade food, coats, and a place to stay. 

“It made me feel fulfilled to serve someone,” Alfaro Jimenez said.

As a Costa Rican immigrant, Alfaro Jimenez knew the struggle all too well. Nobody helped her family translate when they first arrived in America. She was only four years old, but she remembers being made fun of for not being able to speak English. 

The family she helped at the hospital reminded her of her parents’ struggles in America. 

“It wasn’t some story they passed down, I lived it with them,” Alfaro Jimenez said. “When you see those injustices happen to other families, you feel they are your own family.” 

It wasn’t long before she sought a job more tailored to where her heart was leaning. In 2020, she enrolled at Manor College to obtain a degree in Public Policy. 

The journey was a struggle. She started college but went virtual when the pandemic hit. She delayed college a semester in Fall 2020 because she couldn’t afford it. She became pregnant with her son in 2022 and took two years off. 

With seven classes left entering the Spring 2025 semester, Alfaro Jimenez pushed to finish school. She consulted her advisor, Doruntina Ukella-Rukiqi, who asked Alfaro Jimenez if she knew what she was getting into. 

Alfaro Jimenez replied, “I’m graduating in the Spring 2025 semester. I don’t want to do this over two semesters.” 

Ukella-Rukiqi replied, “I know you’ll finish with great success. I’m rooting for you always,” 

Her days began at 6 a.m. in a flurry she described as “all day on go.” Her mother used to watch her son, Coast, but when her mother found a new job, Alfaro Jimenez juggled both. She’d spend the day taking care of Coast and, after he went to bed around 8 p.m., worked for the next 5-6 hours to get her work done. 

With the backing of her husband, Giovianni Negron, she quit her job in March and used the next month and a half to make it to the finish line. On May 15, she achieves her goal – earning her Associate’s Degree in Public Policy from Manor College. 

“Words cannot describe how proud I am of Kimberly,” Ukella-Rukiqi said. “When she sets her mind to something, she pursues it with unwavering dedication. She consistently puts in the effort, stays organized and is always open to new challenges.” 

On her graduation, Alfaro Jimenez said, “I never, not once, felt like I didn’t want to finish college. No matter how many times I had a step back, I knew I wanted to complete it. My degree was a way to repay my parents and their sacrifice and for keeping me here to get that education.”

Alfaro Jimenez credits the professors at Manor College, including Ukella-Rukiqi and Mary Sims, for keeping her moving forward through the setbacks.

“Every time I had to step away from college, they’d check up on me and would keep saying, ‘You Belong Here. We’ll figure out a way to fit your unique status,’” Alfaro Jimenez said. “Manor was so accommodating to students who have families, who have jobs, who are older students. They really do give you every opportunity to complete it.”

With her degree in hand, Alfaro Jimenez is scheduled to take the LSAT in June and plans to go to law school in the near future. Her advice to Manor College students? Never give up. 

“If the thought of you finishing school is in the back of your mind, pursue it,” she said. “That’s the only voice you need to listen to, no matter how many times you have to step away.” 

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