Meet Patricia

Working for Goodwill Central Texas put life into perspective for Patricia and, she says, made her the mother she is today.

She was first introduced to Goodwill when she was 16. “I saw all the things that Goodwill did for the community AND the people working for them.”  Patricia was a teen mother and knew she needed job skills, so she participated in the Goodwill Summer Internship Program.

Once she left the Summer Internship Program, however, Patricia never got a chance to put those new job skills into practice. Unfortunately, she took a wrong turn and cycled in and out of prison for the next few years. When she was released, she found her job options were very limited. Once again, she turned to Goodwill for help. “I knew that I had a son and I needed to take care of him, and I had to be a role model.”

Patricia began working at Goodwill in 2017 as a material handler and with her renewed commitment to herself and her family, it didn’t take long for her to start working her way up. Soon, she joined the eCommerce department, and today she is the Ecommerce Supervisor.

Patricia says that Goodwill programs and services, and her Goodwill family have helped her stay on track. “I do everything that I’m supposed to do so I can see my son and go to his school and his activities, and I’m able to be the person I want to be.”

Now, she is inspired to help other people, and she knows that what she is doing at Goodwill changes lives because Goodwill helped her turn her life around. “That drives me knowing that I’m helping somebody. I always want to do better the next week, so more people are helped.”

Patricia is excited about continuing to work and progress within Goodwill and she is excited about her son’s future. “He’s very active in sports talks about going to college. When I see his passion, it gives me passion. I tell him that this is his journey and we’re going to push to get you there.”

Patricia knows that without Goodwill she would be in a very different place. “I’ve seen a lot of my friends go down other roads. Most of them are still in prison and, honestly, many of them are dead. I always think back to if I didn’t get that summer job through Goodwill, if I never pushed as hard to be where I am today, that’s where I would be.”