STAR Stories

Shanel has always been creative and she especially loves to bake. When she was a young child, Shanel spent many hours in the kitchen with her grandmother. She says, “I used to bake with her when I was little. I was more into decorating dessert. I was maybe six or seven when I started”. After high school, Shanel enrolled in a local arts education school to pursue training in baking and pastry arts. Shanel now works at a bakery. Though she’s been there for a while, she can easily recall her unique interview process. While preparing for her initial interview, Shanel took to heart advice she had received from a mentor years before; “If you’re going in on an interview, show up as if they will hire you right now, like you’re ready to work”.  And that is exactly what she did. Shanel arrived at the bakery for a part-time baker role in her chef’s clothes and ready to bake.  She was offered an interview on the spot and was asked to demonstrate her baking ability. Shanel chose to make brownies from the house menu. Despite her nerves, she focused on the task, asked questions every step of the way, and impressed her interviewer with the quality of her brownies. Shanel believes her calm demeanor and ease in the kitchen helped her to secure the role.

The bakery where Shanel works employs veterans, military spouses and caregivers, with a mission of teaching entrepreneurship and wellness while creating a supportive community.  Shanel quickly realized this was a place she would like to grow her career.  When she observed turnover among front of house staff, Shanel proposed a new position that incorporated job responsibilities from several roles. The bakery’s management approved the position and Shanel stepped into it. Shanel is now General Bakery Manager, managing catering, baking and teaching others the skills of the trade.

Mark began his journalism career at 18, four years earlier than planned. Two weeks into his first semester, he realized that full-time school and a full-time job were more than he could manage. He withdrew from school with the intention of saving enough money to return the following year. Instead, he landed an entry-level position at the local flagship newspaper, and never looked back.  “The ‘couple of semesters’ I took off have lasted about 40 years,” he says.

Embarrassment over his lack of a college degree has given way to gratitude. Mark says that although he didn’t realize it at the time, learning his trade from practitioners was a blessing.  “Newspapers were very profitable in the 1980s and 1990s, with large staffs that passed institutional knowledge down from one generation of reporters and editors to the next,” he said. “All of my training was and continues to be on-the-job. My ‘professors’ were colleagues who mentored me, and bosses who challenged me.”

Mark’s career trajectory took him from newsroom clerk to TV columnist and eventually into management – as a features editor, managing editor, and after 32 years at the paper, its Editor-in-Chief and Vice President of Content, overseeing the paper’s transition to digital. After the sale of the paper, Mark transitioned to a journalism-adjacent position leading the communications team at the state department of economic development. He sees his new career as a natural – and necessary – extension of his prior one. “I’m responsible for telling the story of our state’s economic performance and potential to a variety of audiences – from CEOs and business relocation advisors to residents and elected officials,” he says. “The goal is the same as it was in the newsroom: to be accurate, engaging, timely and present wherever people seek information.”

Mark explains that the digital disruption of the local newspaper business requires new ways of communicating. He wants to build a new model for communications and marketing operations with integrated content, creative, digital and marketing teams. For this he wants highly collaborative workers who are natural internal and external relationship builders. He sees STARs as key to this strategy. “It’s impossible to be an effective communicator in the digital era without having exceptional soft skills – stuff you can’t learn from a textbook,” he says. “I’ll make sure the door stays open for STAR storytellers who, like me, chose self-education over college graduation.”

Sheronda is a shining STAR in the public sector. As a leader in the Office of Procurement in a county government, she has responsibility for all internal functions for county contracts – executing, administering and monitoring compliance. The job requires skills and knowledge in IT, budgeting, customer service, and navigating complex procedures. Sheronda loves this role because she gets to advise small businesses – especially women and minority owned businesses – and open opportunities they might not otherwise be able to access.

Sheronda did not grow up dreaming of a career in procurement. She started out in college, planning to become a neurosurgeon. But, when she had a baby, she put her dreams on hold to provide for her young son. One job led to another and she never did get back to college and medical school. But, along the way, she developed tremendous skills in IT. Sheronda built over 80 applications to improve operations in her county government. With her expertise has come recognition and leadership opportunities. In addition to procurement responsibilities, she serves on committees and mentors her staff. She is particularly supportive of STARs, like her. “I want to find the next STAR leader”, she says.

Midway through a rewarding career that has seen many twists and turns, Sheronda is not remotely done. “I still think about medical school,” she says, “and my family is encouraging me to pursue my artistic passions too. I really don’t know what comes next, but I know from experience that anything is possible.”

Darryl had a bright future ahead of him: he was a straight-A student throughout high school, loved to play sports, and had a budding interest in wiring and lights. He hoped to become an electrical engineer one day. Things took a sudden turn when his mother and stepfather went through a tough divorce, and his stepfather lost his job. He found himself the primary adult caring for his family. Keeping his family housed, fed, and clothed, with sufficient funds for laundry, gas, bus fare, and other essentials proved overwhelming. Darryl took a risk, selling drugs, and was caught and incarcerated.

Finding a job once he was released from prison was difficult because nearly every employer required background checks. Although he was still passionate about electrical engineering, he decided it wasn’t the time to try to pursue that goal. “I could barely get a job at UPS, so I definitely didn’t feel like I was going to get the opportunity to draw up blueprints.”

Over the next few years, Darryl worked at a warehouse and an event design firm until he joined a Second Chance program and began working in sanitation. He credits the program’s holistic approach with building his self-esteem and getting back on his feet. Darryl now works as a Sanitation Supervisor for the city but still thinks about electrical engineering and going back to school.

Jay was inspired by their childhood experiences to pursue a career that would help other people. Among the roles they considered were guardian ad litem, building mobility robots, and working as a psychologist. Jay followed in their mother and grandmother’s footsteps to college but did not complete the degree – they felt they were learning how to pass tests instead of genuinely learning.

A period of incarceration set Jay back in their career goals. It took them a year after release to find a job due to background checks, a practice Jay questions. “It’s not a fair thing – when you get home you’re supposed to have served your debt to society… but your punishment actually starts when you get home.”

Still, they persevered with support from their mother, participating in training programs, building up their network, and eventually starting a business. Less than two years after their release, they have a house and a car. They work two jobs to make ends meet but they find them both rewarding. One is for a workforce development program and the other for a non-profit connecting people to BIPOC therapists, fulfilling their childhood goal of helping people.

When he was released from prison, Lawrence started and quickly excelled at a transitional job program called Clean Slate that focused on litter abatement. One day, he struck up a conversation with a man who had been watching him work. Unbeknownst to Lawrence, the man was the CEO of a company, and, impressed by his work ethic, asked him to interview for positions at his company. He hired Lawrence as an Assistant Facilities Manager.

Though Lawrence felt inexperienced with aspects of the work, he committed to learning and picked up a variety of skills on the job. He became an expert in facilities management, learning by troubleshooting plumbing, floor care, painting, and electrical problems. Lawrence took these skills with him to a new facilities management job and continues to learn every day.

Lawrence credits the transitional job program for helping him through difficult times, explaining that they provided financial, housing, and transportation support to help him get on his feet. He is determined to do well in his career and is passionate about facilities management.  “I really care about the work that I do – if I ride down the street, and there’s paper in the street, I’ll pull over and pick it up. If I come outside and see cigarette butts or something on the ground, I’ll stop and pick them up.”

Sheree encountered the paper ceiling many times across her career. She went to college to get an education degree but when her mother fell ill, she had to leave school to work full-time. She took a job as a claims assistant in an insurance company believing it would offer her a chance to climb a corporate ladder. Yet, despite working nights and weekends to demonstrate her commitment, she was passed over for promotions. When an internal role opened up, she applied and aced the interviews but saw the role go to a less experienced internal candidate who had a bachelor’s degree.

Discouraged, Sheree took night classes and applied for jobs with her local county government. As she had hoped, the public sector provided Sheree professional development and upward mobility. She earned five promotions over 14 years. She managed large caseloads and learned the ins and outs of complex systems. Still, she faced the paper ceiling. She wanted to become a social worker, but the bachelor’s degree requirement, with its cost and time commitment, put this role out of reach. When the pandemic resulted in layoffs, Sheree took a five-month Salesforce Administration training program and landed a role at a legal services nonprofit with responsibilities in Salesforce administration, customer success, and IT support. She soon returned to counseling, working as a College and Career Specialist at the local high school, but she plans to use her newly developed tech skill to return to the IT field when school lets out in the summer.

Sheree is proud of her achievement, noting the many barriers she cleared along the way — degree discrimination, financial strain, childcare challenges, long hours, and irregular work schedules. She often prioritized family needs over her own dreams but always found ways to keep learning.  Still, she questions why it had to be this hard. She credits her relationships with helping her see it through. “Having a strong community and network has helped me. Understanding how to build community and find people. We’re celebrating together, we’re crying together.”

Ansaer was accepted to a top-tier university, but when he recognized the stress that the tuition costs would place on his family, he decided to find another way.  He started working and began taking classes at the local community college.  This approach proved challenging.  Working three jobs while going to school made for a round-the-clock schedule. One night, driving from his overnight job to his day job, he got vertigo and nearly crashed his car. He knew he had to make a change and decided to join the U.S. Navy.

When he completed his service, Ansaer enrolled in YearUp, a tuition-free job training program, to hone his technical skills and connect to employment opportunities. He woke up every day excited for training. Personal circumstances caused him to leave the program for a year but he persevered and re-enrolled.  He credits family and friends for supporting him through that period and the coaches at YearUp for encouraging him to stay the course.

Upon graduation from YearUp, Ansaer started an internship as a QA Engineer at a large tech company.  Industry layoffs disrupted his plan to transition to a full-time role, so he is looking for another job and contemplating a second stint in the military. He knows that across his experiences, from his early entry-level jobs, his experience in the military, YearUp and his internship, he has cultivated a broad set of skills and capabilities but that finding job security is still a challenge. He believes he may have to put his passions aside for the time being to support himself. “Adversity feels like home”, he reflects, as he looks at the road ahead.

Starting out in a corporate workplace as a Recruitment Training Manager was intimidating to Jonte. Everyone around him had worked their way up through the corporate world after college, and he came with an associate’s degree and a handful of licenses and certifications collected over years of working in the trades. He got over that feeling quickly however, because, as he puts it, “I realized I was supposed to be there. You know, they came looking for me. I didn’t look for them.” And Jonte felt ready for everything that the job required of him. All of his years of working, building his own skills and training others on his teams, helped him in this new role. He drew on “communication skills, and being able to build those relationships and convey the information so people can understand it.” The hardest part was actually just putting together the training manual the company would use, but all of his other skills helped there, too.

In thinking about how far he has come in his career, especially given how he felt about trade jobs when he was younger, he says, “I never thought that the trades would take me to a position where I only answer to two people in a billion dollar company.” Jonte looks forward to what the future brings for him as the company grows. Though he sometimes feels like he “lucked up,” he will continue to challenge the negative perceptions of trade jobs and encourage others to broaden their horizons.

Growing up in foster care, Jonathan tried to take advantage of his state’s college tuition support system but the foster system’s dual demands that he be both employed and a full-time student were stressful and Jonathan dropped out of college to work full-time as a security guard. Now, a security manager, Jonathan believes that his alertness, patience, and flexibility have served to make him an effective leader. “A lot of managers are like ‘it’s my way or the highway’. I have not been that. I have to be presented with the information and then make the best judgment for the situation,” he explained.

Jonathan believes that he developed these traits and skills not from formal schooling, but growing up in foster care. “All the things that I’ve dealt with in my life helped me be more understanding.” Jonathan has had some employees who were also part of the foster care system. He found that when they raised workplace issues, “I immediately was able to connect to that, and make a decision in a way that made them feel as though at some point they could go out and be the type of manager I was.”

As a high school athlete, Tayshawn injured himself and had to go to physical therapy. He was amazed by his transformation back to good health. He thought, “why not learn more about what could prevent someone from getting injured?” He enrolled in college to pursue a degree in exercise and sports science but he found it challenging to focus solely on academics. After taking a break from school, he started to work out diligently and, through experience and practice, built his knowledge of functional movement and the human body.  He connected with trainers on social media to build relationships and learn other trainers’ techniques. “There were two guys who trained exactly the same way as me. I took the time to look at their style of training and listen to them on a daily basis. I would try new and innovative ways to focus on different muscle groups”. He posted his own workouts and began to get a following. He decided to pursue an associates degree in Business Administration to study accounting and marketing so he could start his own business.   A studio owner noticed his work and hired him to teach group fitness classes. She helped him complete his first certification. In the studio, he became a stronger instructor and also learned to market himself. Now, a studio owner, Tayshawn remains focused on building his business and connecting with his clients. ” You want to give them a reason why they want to come to you. Give them an idea of what’s gonna come from being consistent with the work”.

Casey wants to run a small business that serves people of all religions, sexualities, and cultures. He knows he has the skills and passion for this as he has approached his career development with intention. His first job, at 18, was as a door-to-door knife salesman. Though the job was “really awful” Casey learned the “ins and outs of how to sell a product” and quickly moved on. Casey then worked various positions in a big retail chain —cashier, customer service, supervisor—while pursing other interests that integrated his queer identity and artistic expression, including performing drag and jewelry-making. He became a well-known local drag performer and met a supportive mentor who “pushed me to want more for myself and to make sure that whatever I do, I do it with intent.” In retail, his work ethic allowed him to scale the promotion ladder quickly. With drag, Case used YouTube tutorials to teach himself makeup and clothing design.  Having retired from drag, he now makes jewelry while continuing to work in retail.

Time management is critical to Casey’s success as a jewelry vendor: “I still have this nine-to-five job that’s so consuming of my week, so I have to be discipled to set aside time to focus on what actually gives me personal payback.” Casey feels a bit stuck in the world of retail, by his lack of a degree so he wants to go to school. He aims to become a funeral director and run a funeral home that meets the needs of people that he sees as left out.  His diverse experiences give him the confidence to pursue his goal. “I know how to sell myself, by listening to my customers and my community, and figuring out what people need. I also know I can adapt my skills to fulfill and satisfy that need.”

Taylor’s learning mindset was formed while watching her grandmother work her way from the mailroom of an insurance company to an executive position without a college degree. As she sees it “Just put out your best work. Work on exercising your mind as the muscle it is. Learn as much as you can and make relationships with higher ups”. She put her words into action at the law school where she also started in the mail room.

As mailroom coordinator, Taylor interacted with nearly every professor, staff member, and student in the school. Each day, Taylor was responsible for running the copiers, preparing course packets and printing student exams. She recalls, “I put myself out there and tried to do the little extra things. That’s how I gained more respect.” In her current role as an academic assistant, she manages faculty finances, grade submission and edits course materials. She says, “I’m very much a self starter. If I don’t understand something, I’ll communicate that, but I don’t need anyone to tell me to do something”. Taylor’s experience working in a law school spurred her interest pursuing an associates degree in paralegal technology. She is now adding legal research, wills and estates, and legal terminology to her skillset.

Ali has always been a self-directed learner. In high school, he turned his hobby and passion for building websites into a profitable business.  “I had to pay taxes when I was 15. A couple grand!” College did not fit his learning by doing style, so he dropped out. “I wanted to learn something that’s operationalized rather quickly.” He held a series of tech industry jobs as a freelancer and technical consultant. As a young Arab American, he often felt his contributions were dismissed.  “Older white dudes would not want to listen to me, but if someone older than me or someone that looked a little bit different repeated it, they’d say “oh yeah, that makes sense’.”  This made him question himself at times but he moved on and founded his own web development and design company. He acknowledges the stress of running a business, especially during the economic downturn. To stay grounded and energized, he engages in mindfulness practices including journaling, meditation, and exercises.

His experiences as a STAR inform how Ali hires for his business. He prioritizes work experience and looks holistically at the candidate.  “Let me see your portfolio, that’s number one, and let’s see how we work together on a test project.” Ali’s company has a pro bono program that designs websites for nonprofits, including one that helps people obtain their GEDs and prepare for their careers. Reflecting on his own professional  trajectory, Ali encourages STARs to have a growth mindset. “I want them to have not just the relevant skills, but a learning ability.”

Though Dani always knew she wanted to be in party planning and hospitality, it was not a straight path for her. She realized college wasn’t what she wanted, so she dropped out to refocus and find some work. She started her own dog walking and pet sitting service, and picked a series of jobs in retail, as a housekeeper for an apartment complex, and doing ad sales for a local newspaper. Along the way, she developed strong communication, time management, and organizational skills.

Eventually, she was hired to work at a hotel as a front desk concierge agent. Dani thrived in this role, which tapped her customer service skills and her love of hospitality. She played an integral part in the guest experience at the hotel. She says, “at this hotel, we would break our backs twice over for anybody. If you wanted it, we made it happen. No question, without a doubt, we made it happen.” This position confirmed for Dani that hospitality is where she wanted to be but she found that after some time her job wasn’t providing any opportunity for advancement. She applied for a different position at a sister hotel and was hired as a human resources coordinator. Now on the back end of the business, Dani helps support a team of almost 150 people and makes sure that they have the support they need to take care of their guests. She still gets to use her event planning skills, as she coordinates staff appreciation events and birthday and holiday celebrations. Dani feels like she’s come full circle to her original goal of working in hospitality.

Thinking about future hospitality jobs she may apply for, she says, “I’m gonna really just put faith in the fact that it will shine through on my resume and in my personality that I have work history and work experience.”

As a hairstylist, Meghan relies on her strong interpersonal skills to build lasting relationships with her clients. “It’s pretty common to carry on a conversation the entire time you are doing their hair.” The moment they enter her salon, Meghan asks herself, “What can I talk about with this particular person? What will we bond with?” A former fashion merchandiser, she can find clues to their personality from what they wear. Her background in fashion helps in other ways too. In merchandising, she learned to create stories with clothing that would make people want to shop at her store. Her knowledge of fabrics and colors helps her think about textures, shapes and colors as she styles hair. She also continues to build her technical skills, traveling to other cities to take classes, visit salons, and stay in touch with styles, trends, tools, and products. Ultimately, though, her success comes back to her people skills. “A lot of times they just can’t wait to get their hair done. It’s more about just hanging out with me than the haircut itself.”

Meghan is a lifelong learner so she sees herself making another career change. “There might be a time when I have to switch my career again and I don’t really know what that would be yet. I’m still trying to figure that out, but I will still probably do hair, even if it’s just a few days a week.”

Micah is a problem solver. He honed his problem-solving skills across numerous life and work experiences and applies them now to his own business. Micah was home-schooled and learned a lot about work from his dad who put him to work in his real estate and property management business. “He started finding properties that he could buy, fix up, rent out, and create income off of. And then I ended up being his tool boy. That’s how I got to spend time bonding with my dad, taking care of properties and fixing things.” When he graduated from high school, Micah joined the U.S. Army.  He trained in military intelligence, an area that he says taught him to “fix problems, put out fires, and deal with people.” He served as a security specialist in the military and remains a noncommissioned officer to this day. In his civilian life, he took a number of college courses and credits and obtained several certifications in real estate and maintenance. He worked in several small businesses, often moving quickly from line staff to management.

When Micah decided to start a property management company of his own, he had a lot of experience to draw on.  “We manage the rent collection, we manage maintenance repairs, tenant turnover, signing the leases, showing the apartment, cleaning up after the old tenants. … We do windows doors, drywall, like whatever can go wrong with the property. We’ll fix it if we can.” And yet, Micah encountered barriers due to his lack of a degree. When applying for a manager position at one store, for example, he was told he might not be qualified, even though he runs his own business. “They wouldn’t consider that without a degree. Simply a paper that says I graduated.” That hasn’t stopped Micah. He emphasizes his leadership abilities, his problem solving skills, his ability to learn in any environment, and his ability to work under pressure. In the long term, Micah hopes to continue to grow his business and maybe even go back and get his bachelor’s degree.

Sean was always “big time into art” but did not follow his passion until later in life. Growing up, “counselors drilled into my head: You’ll never make any money doing art.” Just as he was graduating from high school, Sean’s father passed away and “I had just pretty much checked out, you know? I think if it wasn’t for meeting my wife in high school, I probably wouldn’t be here having this conversation right now.” For over 20 years, Sean worked in food service, enjoyed working with cars and became a seasoned shop foreman, and dabbled in website development. At 39, the age his father died, Sean decided to pursue a career that he was absolutely passionate about: an ice and snow sculpting business. Though in the beginning, business was slow, Sean’s drive and support from his family kept him going: Today, Sean’s business expanded and he is a reputable 3D chalk artist and ice, snow, and sand sculptor. Fondly, he recalled how his mother-in-law, “always used to tell me that I was wasting my talent, cause she knew I could draw. I was like, I know, I know. I know. I was always working towards that. I just didn’t know what it was yet.”

“What this comes down to is knowing your worth, right?” Lakisha has spent a career learning her worth in the workforce.  College was never really an option – her family did not expect it of her, her high school teachers and counselors did not encourage her, and the financial burden was simply too high. Instead Lakisha worked for years in factories and eventually, in search of a change, applied to administrative positions.  The work was new to her and, at first, she could only get temp jobs.  However, her attitude, customer service orientation, and work ethic prompted one attentive supervisor to bring her on full time.   “For me that was life changing. I actually had a full-time job where I had benefits. I had healthcare. I had a 401(k) and I was able to help my family out if they needed.” When a colleague departed and Lakisha took on extra responsibilities, she spoke up for herself. “I sent the headmaster a note, we set up a meeting and we met. I told him I was going to be doing two jobs and I feel like I should be compensated more for them”. To her surprise, the headmaster readily agreed. Lakisha attributes her confidence to knowing the value of her skillset and her work.

Mark first stepped into a restaurant kitchen at 9 years old, when his aunt brought him to work at a diner one weekend. She put him to work, filling ketchup bottles and replacing napkin containers, and from that day he was hooked. As a teenager, he started his own candy business and got a job at a burger restaurant. These early job experiences confirmed for Mark that he wanted to work with food and be in kitchens. After some time in the military and a year of community college, he decided to pursue a culinary education to build on the skills he had learned on the job. One big lesson was vocabulary, as he explains “not calling it a white wine and butter sauce. It’s a beurre blanc.” Mark continued to work, while studying, at a variety of restaurants, from country clubs to steak houses, perfecting his craft at each one. Though there were times when he had to step back from the industry, he always found his way back.

A job that is as physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding as working in a kitchen, takes years of practice and a constant willingness to learn. As he’s moved into head chef positions and now as a culinary manager, he’s learned that empathy, and being able to recognize others’ strengths and weaknesses, is also a large part of the job. “I’ve had prep cooks that are hundred pounds soaking wet that can burn through a 50 pound bag of onions in 30 minutes, and they’re all perfect. But you have to pick up that 50 pound bag for them because there’s no way they’re doing it. It’s realizing that they have so many strengths, but if they have a couple of weaknesses, that’s not a big deal.” Mark makes it a point to also educate those who are coming up behind him. “I’ve always tried to make it a place of education and fun and a pursuit of something beyond ourselves. I mean, it’s one plate at a time. And all we’re trying to do is feed people. It’s not that difficult. Just try and try and show people love and grace.”

Dalton is an EMT and Security Officer as an assisted living community while he works on breaking into the content creation world on social media and finishing his bachelor’s degree. He is building an online platform for the content and videos that he creates. “I have the mindset and skill set to be able to record multiple videos at a time and get those ready to go. Trying to post two or three videos a day to keep engaged with your crowd is hard. You have to have the drive to do it.” He developed his skills and work ethic over time, first as an EMT and then through an associate’s program.  As an EMT, he learned emergency health interventions and also built skills in problem solving, customer service, and communication.  He even became a better writer through the detailed but succinct reports he filed on all of his emergency response calls.  Dalton obtained a certification to become an EMT but he learned the most in the field. “Most of it is practical work, like knowing how to bandage something, knowing how to do CPR, knowing how to intubate. All these medical things. You can learn about them through text and only by talking so much, but you don’t really know what you’re doing until you actually do it.”  Through his associates degree program, he added skills in editing and production software. He got a lot of hands-on experience with different types of cameras and techniques. He notes that  being able to edit videos, movies, and pictures puts him a step ahead of others without those skills.

Though she was a skilled welder, Erika had to learn a lot of technical skills when she started at the manufacturing plant. “I learned how to connect, braze, lash, and motor. I learned how to surge test the motors. And then I learned one of the machines that physically winds and puts the copper coil into the motor.” She did her job so well, she became a quality technician, which means she is the last person to see a motor before it leaves the plant.

Erika’s job requires a high level of coordination between different departments and individuals. “You have to work with the person behind you. I work in a production facility, so the two positions behind mine would be nameplates and paint. So if they’re wanting to go slow on the painting or they’re having an off day anyway, you kind of have to help perk them up to encourage them.” Because she works second shift, Erika is also responsible for communicating with first shift engineers, to ensure smooth transitions between shifts.  Erika identifies attention to detail, good communication, and teamwork as the most important skills she depends on every day.

Though she has been professionally successful, Erika has had to prove herself over and over as a young woman and a working mother in manufacturing. She says, “It takes a lot for people to overcome their own mentality of what they perceive you to be. So they think, ‘Oh, she’s just a young 26 year old. It takes a moment for them to realize, okay, no, she’s in this position cause she’s serious.”

Sam has been picking up skills and work-based knowledge since his first job on a tree farm. He says that this job is where he got his first marketable job skills. He learned about logging, selling lumber, forestry, mechanics, and small business practices. Since then, he has worked in construction, as a roofer, a plumber, and an electrician’s assistant. He has also worked in schools, designed curricula for outdoor education, and served on the boards of two conservation nonprofits.  

Today, Sam runs his own sub-contracting business and does residential construction. He uses all the technical and people skills that he learned along the way, but Sam says that failure has been the best teacher. When he first got his business off the ground, he lost a lot of time and a lot of money learning tough lessons in fiscal responsibility, and in managing his business, his employees, and his contracts. He also had a hard time getting bids early on. “I just applied and applied and applied and applied and lost almost every bid. But then occasionally I picked a few up.” From there, things only grew.

Sam says that much of his success is due to the fact that he’s a “self-starter in every sense of the word” and he’s not one to back down from a challenge. “I’ve never said ‘I don’t know how to do that.’ I say, ‘Yeah, I can. Give me a week and I’ll figure it out.’” This positive attitude toward learning and this willingness to take on new work challenges, in addition to the sheer amount of experience that he has gained over the years, has helped him make his way in his field, where he often finds himself supervising workers who are decades his senior. These are also qualities that Sam looks for when he puts together a team. “I will hire anybody who will put in a long day of work and has some degree of being able to retain information and learn a skill,” he says.

Jamie’s participation in the prison work-study program set him on a path of learning. He took college classes by mail and near the end of his sentence, he was placed at the governor’s mansion.  He started on the governor’s household staff, and after a year, transitioned to an administrative position, where he had a lot to learn.  “I remember my first day. When I got to my computer, I remember seeing ‘CLT-ALT-Enter.’ I didn’t even know what that meant.” But he mastered typing at a fast pace, computers, and went on to learn social media management, communications, speech writing, and event planning. When Jamie left prison, he found work at an education-oriented nonprofit. There, he learned about human resources and charter school management. Today, as a development coordinator at another nonprofit, Jamie does outreach to community members and potential donors to raise critical funds to support the organization’s mission. Every step of the way, Jamie pushed himself to learn more. Over the years, he’s attained his BA in Health and Human Sciences, Life Coach certification, NC Life Insurance license, a Non-Profit Management certification, Mental Health First Aid certified, Crisis and Prevention certification, and a professional development and conflict mediation certification. He is working towards his master’s and then doctorate degree.

One of the things Thaddaeus loves about his job is that he gets to help others. He is responsible for technical support in his academic department, on everything from projects to meetings to events. He guides faculty, staff, and students through difficult technical challenges and does projects of his own. His skills have been critical in the recent transition to online learning.

When Thaddaeus started at the university, he had no formal training in IT or tech support. He had developed all his skills over a series of jobs where he leveraged his affinity for computers into office-oriented technical work.  He taught himself video editing, audio editing, and even to work with some operating systems. He also worked as a medical transcriptionist and a freelance designer. “A throughline to everything has been, just working within tech, working in IT. I have always sort of gravitated towards computer work and computer repair and stuff like that.”

Thaddaeus is also a professional performer. He has roles in local theatrical productions and works as a standardized patient actor to teach medical students effective and empathetic patient interaction. These theatrical projects provide an artistic outlet and make him an excellent communicator and public speaker. He is comfortable in front of an audience, skilled at explaining complex information, and good at giving and receiving feedback.

When Thaddaeus was first starting out, his dream was to design theme parks. While this is not where his career took him, he has found his own pathway to jobs that allow him to use his creativity, problem solving and interpersonal skills to create a positive learning environment at the university. “I’ve gotten a lot of satisfaction just being helpful and helping people find things or helping people connect dots that they didn’t really know were connected.”

When Kent interviewed for his current position, he was determined to get the job. To set himself apart from the other applicants, Kent asked to demonstrate his skills during the interview.  “I said set me up with a temporary ID and temporary environment and I can show you what I can do. So that’s what I did and that’s how I got my job.”

Kent developed his first computer skills over 30 years ago in the Army Reserves, computing firing data for artillery sections.  When he left the military, he pursued an associates-to-bachelors transfer program in computer science but found the school-work-homelife balance taxing.  Providing for his family, paying the mortgage and covering healthcare took precedence over classes. So, instead he built his skills on the job. He was lucky to have an excellent supervisor who served as a mentor and gave him the opportunity to learn.  He had some ups and downs over the years as contracts came and went.There were times Kent found that as a young Black man doing a technical job, he was not supported by his colleagues.  But, now Kent is in a stable job that he loves.  After nearly 28 years of work in the field, he continues to enjoy his work.   “The job is awesome. The people and the politics is what makes it challenging, but I enjoy helping people. I enjoy the troubleshooting aspect of being able to take a problem, an issue, and come up with a resolution. Like I said, the job is great.”

Laura got her first pharmacy technician job during her associate’s program and she faced a daunting learning curve. She had to learn a lot of technical skills — filling prescriptions for patients, mixing medications, and preparing IVs. She also learned to navigate a hospital environment and manage communications with doctors and nurses. Laura earned her national certification for pharmacy technicians, and after working in hospital settings for almost ten years, transitioned to a compounding center. In this job, Laura works more closely with the actual production of medicine. “We are making the drugs from scratch, like taking powders and liquids and mixing them together.” Laura says that the most important skill she has developed the job is the ability to multitask while maintaining extraordinary attention to detail. “If you’re running the main counter in the pharmacy, you’re answering phone calls from nurses, you are getting printed papers that are med requests from nurses from all over the hospital. You are having to listen to pharmacists. There might be a window where people are coming to pick up meds and there’s 15,000 things going and you have to keep getting stuff done the whole time and you have to do it correctly and accurately. It’s medication. I can’t send out the wrong thing!”

Today, Laura is looking to change careers because she has gone as far as she can go as a pharmacy technician. She has enrolled in a 9-month IT training program and is gaining certifications. She is optimistic about her future. “There are a million and a half things I could do with any of these certifications. I don’t know them though because I’ve never been in this world before. So like it’s the world is my oyster!”

Katy has a unique set of technical skills. Having started her career as a musician, she built on high school vocational training and an associates degree in media arts to become adept at sound design and electronics repair. She worked in record studios and music stores, running and repairing equipment.  “All the pro audio equipment, all the PA equipment, all the recording equipment, DJ stuff, the keyboards, I kept everything connected and running.” However, with limited prospects for job growth, she began to explore her options.  Friends on her rugby team took her under their collective wing and helped her pivot from music to medical technology. They coached her through resume building and interview preparation, and helped open doors that she otherwise would not have known about. “I had one or two people who really just sat down with me and really helped me polish up my resume and then found a bunch of examples of interview questions. And then they had me think through things like biggest strength, biggest weakness, and just grilled me on it and got me into interview shape.” Her technical skills helped her adapt to a new environment, even as she faced the steep learning curve that comes in a new industry, and she has moved up in the field. Now, a Data Analyst, Katy continues to pay it forward, helping younger rugby players pursue their professional dreams.  “I love being able to help people out now and I wouldn’t be able to do it if not for the fact that someone had done it for me.”

Lynnette has always learned by doing.  After high school, she started working in factories where the pay was moderate and the hours long.  Seeking change, she got an associates degree in Secretarial Science, studying records management, data entry, and psychology. For nearly 31 years, she has worked in various student services at a state university. Due to an organizational restructure, Lynnette ended her time at the university as an Academic Coordinator. In this role, she was responsible for providing academic advising to undergraduate and graduate students. On her time in student services, Lynnette reflects, “I think it brought about variety. It pretty much kept me on my toes and I was learning and meeting new people”.

Now Lynette seeks a new challenge. When COVID-19 became a concern, several friends invited her to make masks. Lynnette learned to sew from her mother and grandmother but she hadn’t seriously sewn in decades. Despite some initial hesitation, with encouragement from her family, Lynnette started a sewing and crafting business. She says, “What is ironic is over the years, I’ve been collecting fabric. I had this giant bin full of cotton material and lo and behold, cotton material was being recommended for homemade masks by the CDC”. Now, after more than 30 years working, as she contemplates her retirement plans, she says, “I’m looking into being an entrepreneur”.

Coming of age during the Civil Rights Movement, Barbara was one of six Black female students who lived on her college campus. The pressures of being a young mother in an inhospitable environment forced her out of college and she worked in factory jobs to make ends meet.  Outside work hours, she began to volunteer at an urban ministry center and at a women’s resource center to build her skills for a better job. Her work delivering services and starting support groups helped her find a government job. Though she did not particularly enjoy it, she stayed for 12 years because it offered the income and stability she needed to take care of her family and pursue her interest in helping people.

When her daughter had a mental health crisis, Barbara redoubled her commitment to children’s mental health care and left her job to start a non-profit to support families of children with special needs. “So I went from being focused on children’s mental health to becoming an advocate for any family with a child who has special needs.”  Barbara learned all aspects of running a non-profit organization – from writing grants to making payroll.  Now, with over 35 years of experience as a child and family advocate for children who have special needs and their families, including mental and behavioral health concerns, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and special health care needs, she is a respected advocate, trainer, and facilitator, recognized in the State of North Carolina and beyond.