Stephanie

See how Stephanie's resilience and adaptability built a career without a traditional roadmap.

Stephanie’s career journey has been shaped by resilience, adaptability, and a commitment to creating a better future for her family. As a Puerto Rican mother of four and the first in her family to pursue higher education, she built her career without a traditional roadmap. Her first professional role was as a front desk associate at a Hilton Inn, where she learned how to navigate fast-paced environments, communicate with people from all walks of life, and step into leadership responsibilities early on. Later, seeking more stability for her family, Stephanie transitioned into healthcare as an office manager at a chiropractic center, where she spent several years developing skills in operations, patient care, and team management.

Although Stephanie once planned to become a registered nurse and completed her prerequisite coursework, balancing school, work, and raising four children made continuing full-time unrealistic. Instead of giving up on her goals, she continued building her skills through hands-on experience and earned a certification in phlebotomy and lab assistance. At one point, Stephanie made the difficult decision to leave her job without another opportunity lined up so she could invest in herself and her future. During that time, she completed a Google Project Management Certificate and began searching for a role that would allow her to remain connected to healthcare while creating more flexibility for her family. That leap led her into an entirely new side of the industry — moving from patient-facing work into technical healthcare operations as a Project Associate.

She now works as an Operations Coordinator and continues training toward becoming a Project Manager after earning multiple promotions along the way. She is most proud of the path she created for herself — one built through persistence, continuous learning, and the willingness to step outside of her comfort zone. Over time, Stephanie has learned to manage imposter syndrome and trust the value of her lived experience and skills. Her story is a reminder that success does not have to follow a traditional path, and that growth often begins the moment you decide to bet on yourself.

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Sara H.

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Tina

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Matt

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Lisa

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Jin

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Henry

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Danielle H.

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Keylin

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Stephanie

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Paige

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Dau'ne

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Sara

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Jodee

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Mario

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Brandon

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Georgette

After building a career across accounting, healthcare, and banking — all without a bachelor's degree — Georgette now channels every hard-won lesson into empowering STARs to own their value and lead with courage.

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Charmagne

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Charmagne

Kelly

Kelly cultivated a career in marketing by following her curiosity — now she designs campaigns that champion the skills and stories of STARs across the country.

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Cale

See how Navy veteran Cale's hands-on expertise is now helping change what it means to be qualified for a job.

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Jon

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Alisha

See how Alisha's relentless curiosity carried her from engineering to HR to compensation analyst at Trane Technologies.

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Shanel

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Shanel

Mark

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Sheronda

Find out how Sheronda built 80+ county applications on the job and opened doors for small and minority-owned businesses without ever earning a bachelor's degree.

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Darryl

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Darryl

Jay

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Jay

Lawrence

Find out how Lawrence's work ethic earned him a thriving career without a four-year degree.

Lawrence

Sheree

Find out how Sheree earned five promotions and built expertise across tech, counseling, and Salesforce despite degree discrimination and layoffs.

Sheree

Ansaer

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Jonte

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Jonathan

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Tayshawn

Find out how a lifelong curiosity inspired Tayshawn's fitness career.

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Casey

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Taylor

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Ali

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Danielle

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Meghan

See how Meghan combined creativity, technical skill, and exceptional people skills to build a hairstyling career — and a loyal clientele.

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Micah

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Sean

See how Sean's STAR status led to his thriving career as a 3D chalk artist and ice and snow sculptor on his own terms.

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Lakisha

See how Lakisha built a successful administrative career through sheer work ethic and the hard-won confidence to know her own worth.

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Mark

Find out how a childhood love of food inspired Mark's culinary management career, built entirely through empathy, practice, and hard work.

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Dalton

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Erika

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Sam

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Jamie

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Thaddaeus

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Kent

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Laura

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Katy

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Lynnette

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Barbara

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Carmen

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Quinn

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Daquan

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Tadarius

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Mary

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Elizabeth

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Debrena

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Courtney

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Ricky

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Robert

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Carol

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Reyna

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Sharon

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Erin

Read about how Erin's STAR status landed her a position as an Internal Audit Manager... without a bachelor's degree.

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