Bridgette was working at the Northfield store as a material handler when she enrolled in our Work & Learn program. Through the program, Bridgette was able to work 20 hours per week at the store and use her remaining 20 hours to take classes at The Excel Center, earning full-time wages.
The Excel Center, operated by Goodwill, is a tuition-free high school for adults. In addition to her diploma, Bridgette earned certifications in CPR, mental health and ServSafe. She also took advantage of our GoodSmiles program to fix ongoing dental issues and our Cars to Work program to purchase her first vehicle.
Since enrolling at The Excel Center, Bridgette has earned two promotions and now works as an assistant manager at our Fern Creek store. She wants to thank her career coach, Sam, and her senior store manager, Chad (pictured).
“Sam and Chad are amazing. There were times I thought I didn’t have it in me, but they were there. They always encouraged me to keep going,” she said.
Bridgette is the first Goodwill employee to utilize our Work & Learn program to earn her diploma from The Excel Center, and we want to thank our retail, career services and mission integration teams for working together to help make this happen!