Meet Alexis

Alexis has grown up fast. She’s only 19, but has faced hardship, despair and poverty for many of those years. Not long ago, Alexis says she hit rock-bottom but then she found Goodwill. That is when everything started to change. “I don’t know where I would be without them [Goodwill].”

Before Goodwill, Alexis was a student. “I went through several high schools around town because we always seemed to be moving. I lived with my Grandma, Mother and little brother. We didn’t have much, and because of that, we ended up going from place to place, whatever we could afford at the time.”

She says she also fell into the wrong crowd and started skipping school a lot. Because of that, she ended up in court, and that’s where Alexis found Goodwill.

After some hard work and perseverance, Alexis completed her high school education with a GED. Unfortunately, it was around this time that Alexis experienced some serious family issues, and ended up being arrested. “It was the lowest point of my life,” she said.

“But,” says Alexis, “everything happens for a reason. Goodwill already had given me an education and an internship, and I knew there were programs available that would help me pull myself up and move on with my life.”

She thought long and hard about her career path. “I wanted a career that would make me stable for the first time in my life. I wanted a career that would give me income stability and help me grow as a person.” She chose to go the health care route. “I want to make a difference in people’s lives; I want to make an impact, and I want to be remembered.”

With financial and emotional support from Goodwill and her Career Case Manager, Alexis completed job training and, after an internship, finally has her dream job working at a health clinic within Seton. “I’m doing labs, checking glucose levels…helping people with their health.

Some of her family concerns are still there but Alexis is looking forward to the future. “My Mom is homeless, and we don’t have a lot of contact with her right now,” said Alexis. “I hope that one day she can turn her life around like I have turned my life around. My future looks bright and I am ready to make my dreams come true. It has taken hard work and dedication on my part, but without Goodwill, things would be very different. I am so thankful to have found Goodwill.”