While still incarcerated, Julia learned about the second-chance employment opportunities and more offered by Goodwill Industries of Kentucky, which she said “stuck” with her. After her release, she was turned down from a job because of her background, but she knew where to look next.
“It was in the back of my mind,” she said. “When I got out in June, I applied for several jobs, but Goodwill just kept popping up in my head. … I went and applied, and I actually got the job. I’ve never had a job that I enjoy going to every day. I absolutely love coming to work. I feel loved here. I feel heard and understood. It makes my job a lot easier.”
After being hired at the Goodwill Mapleleaf store in Lexington, Julia enrolled in our Work & Learn program. This program allowed her to work on her education while earning a paycheck. With assistance from her career coach, Ashley Caudill, Julia earned her GED and was recently accepted into college.
“Ashley has been absolutely amazing,” Julia said. “Anytime I’ve gone to her with something I need help with, she’s helped me figure it out.”
After being in active addiction for 15 years, Julia is now 22 months sober and hopes to help individuals with similar experiences by pursuing a degree in alcohol and drug counseling.
“To help people better themselves—that’s what I want to go into,” she said. “I want to help people the way I got helped. Anyone who is looking to better themselves should try Goodwill. It helped me when I felt lost, and it could help them, too.”