THE DRIVE TO HELP YOUTH OVERCOME BARRIERS
Perseverance (“Percy”) Narcisse is a graduate of Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, and her name lends itself to her character. In the last months of her senior year, Percy quickly pivoted away from plans to attend Iowa State University when she found out she was pregnant. Months into her pregnancy, her father passed away unexpectedly. Her future suddenly uncertain, Percy leaned on iJAG for connections to business opportunities and education that would support her new chapter.
iJAG connected Percy to an internship with Principal Financial Group (PFG) in Des Moines, which she managed successfully while attending school nearby and being a single mother. Because of her remarkable perseverance, she landed a full-time position at PFG and has her eyes set on a thriving, longstanding career with PFG. Since her first day as an iJAG intern, she has never looked back – except for brief admiration of her resiliency to overcome major life hurdles.
After nearly five years with PFG, she leads a fulfilling career as an Electronic Data Interchange Implementation Specialist while taking full advantage of company mentors and volunteer initiatives.
“I went through several points in my life. iJAG taught me things no other class did. I realized it wasn’t the right time to go to school and I needed to figure out a way to be financially stable for my son. iJAG was the connection. Today, as a young Black woman, Principal has given me a platform to share my story and be a leader.”