This summer will mark a year since *Rose started waking up every day at 6 a.m. to join the city’s commuters heading to their Monday to Friday nine to five work routines.
“Maybe I’ll buy myself a cake,” Rose quipped, her lips curving into a smile.
Rose has a lot to celebrate. She has grown so much over the past year working as an administrative clerk at a dental and vision insurance company. A self-professed shy person, she says she’s far more confident now. As a former night owl, Rose says that the early mornings and consistent structure has helped her develop discipline and kept her focused.
Best of all, the role allowed her to move out of the shelter last October and into housing in the community. It also got her thinking about pursuing further education to grow her career.
Rose attributes a lot of her success to the support she received from Covenant House Toronto. While living in the shelter, she struggled with a deep sadness related to not having work. That sadness lifted after she was put in touch with our Employment Centre job developer, Anthony Lohan.
Together, they talked through her skills and goals. Rose has a university degree in procurement and logistics from her home country, so she -is highly organized and business-minded. She had really enjoyed some recent volunteer work delivering meals to seniors and wanted to explore a career in helping people.
When the opportunity for her current role came along, Anthony encouraged her to apply, seeing it as a perfect fit for her skills and career aspirations. She booked an interview room in the Employment Centre and impressed a virtual panel of three interviewers.
“I was so happy, but I think Anthony was even happier for me,” she said. He walked Rose through all of the paperwork and helped her sign everything and send it back to her new employer. Then, she received a gift card from the Employment Centre team that helped her buy work-appropriate clothing to wear on the job.
Rose now wants to pursue studies in healthcare, so she can use her skills to help people. She has been researching post-secondary pre-health programs and exploring certifications to help her build her skills.