In 2020, Brittany was sentenced to 13 months in jail for drug charges. When she was released, she said she was “lost.”
“I didn’t have a direction,” Brittany said. “I applied for many jobs, and they would all turn me down because of my record.”
That’s when Brittany’s mom, Mindy, “shined the light toward Goodwill.” Mindy herself was given a second chance through Goodwill and was hired at our Fairview store as a part-time cashier in 2014. She has been promoted several times, including to store manager, and is now a loss prevention specialist for us.
Following in her mother’s footsteps, Brittany was hired by the Fairview store as a production clerk in 2022. And after two years, she’s been promoted to team lead and now assistant manager.
“That was the first place that actually hired me, so I felt relief,” Brittany said. “But I did not expect it to go so far as me becoming an assistant manager.”
Brittany has completed her peer support certification and taken part in our GREAT program, which is designed to prepare Goodwill’s up-and-comers with the tools, resources and expertise to step into leadership roles. She also recently passed her assistant manager certification exam, which will allow her to be promoted to an ASM II.
The training is preparing Brittany for her next goal – to be promoted to store manager, just like her mom.
“Whatever dream or wish she holds in her heart, I hope she goes for it,” Brittany’s mom, Mindy, said. “I hope she believes in herself with her entire being. I hope she never settles when it comes to her dreams. … Her past hasn’t defined her – it has prepared her.”
Brittany said she’s working toward that goal so she can continue to help individuals who were lost like she was. At Goodwill, she said it’s easier for her to be her “true self.”
“Any other job I would have to hide that part of me,” Brittany said. “This way, I can connect with the other employees and tell them, ‘Hey, I’ve been there, I started out that way. And you can go as far as you want to go within Goodwill.’”
With inspiration from her mom, Brittany is now writing her own story with us at Goodwill. Brittany said the two often think about how far they’ve both come.
“We definitely go back – growing up, she was at work, and now I’m working at the store she was a manager of,” Brittany said. “I’ve watched how she has climbed the ladder, and that inspires me.”