“If you have any dream, just go for it.” – Jamila

Jamila is not only a dreamer but a fighter and a survivor. After escaping an abusive living situation in Morocco, she made her way to the U.S. and eventually to Goodwill where she took classes to further her education. She’s now on track to become a licensed practical nurse and has a job that she loves!

“You give yourself a chance to actually make a career.” – Matt

Successfully receiving his GED after taking classes with Evergreen Goodwill, Matt is now on track to become a licensed journeyman electrician! 

“My main goal is to inspire people who are like me, who wants to be a pilot but who don't believe in themselves.”

Abdullahi, a former student in our Youth Aerospace Program, is now pursuing degrees in aviation and business management and hopes to not only be a pilot one day but also play a role in the economic advancement of developing African nations.

“With Goodwill, I was able to access the internet, which has helped me to achieve my goals.” – Malgorzata

After emigrating to the United States from Europe, Malgorzata visited her local Job Training and Education Center after having difficulty finding a job. Evergreen Goodwill connected her to various classes, as well as technology that helped set Malgorzata up for success, and after much hard work and dedication, she now has a job that she loves in the health care industry!

“The aerospace program and the internship program both made me learn valuable life skills … just being a better person in general.” – Stephen

Stephen came to Goodwill looking to learn more about the science behind the aerospace industry, and what he left with was so much more. He says the connections he made with people taught him valuable life skills and encouraged him to grow.

“I want to become a U.S. citizen, I want to vote.” – HangTran

HangTran has been working hard to learn English and get ready for her naturalization interview and exam with hopes of one day being able to permanently call the United States home – all with the strong support of our Goodwill team here to help.

“I want to tell anyone about Goodwill – that Goodwill help people.” – Pramuan.

Evergreen Goodwill has been a transformative piece of Pramuan’s life as he seeks to become a U.S. citizen after emigrating from Thailand. While participating in our Citizenship Test Preparation and ESOL classes, Pramuan had a vested interest in not only his own success but of his fellow classmates, too.  

“It just takes somebody to care, somebody to try, somebody to do what Goodwill is doing.”

A lot has changed for Keone since we last heard from him at the Glitter Gala fundraising event in 2017. He's continuing to push forward in his career as he and his wife raise their young child. Learn more about Keone's Goodwill journey and how it's transformed his life. 

“I need to achieve my goals because if you don’t have goals, you cannot achieve anything.”

When Yulia moved to the United States from Russia, she says she never established any professional goals for herself. Thanks to Evergreen Goodwill, Yulia was able to further her education and now dreams of one day attending a university and becoming a licensed CPA.

“Things are so much brighter than I could have ever dreamed, and I just learned how capable I am even though I really believed and was told that I wasn’t. Goodwill showed me this whole different side of me.”

Rachelle arrived at Goodwill after leaving a horrendous situation. She grew up in a struggling family, dropped out of high school, and got involved in a relationship that led to Rachelle being a victim of human trafficking. Goodwill’s Job Training and Education (JTE) staff embraced Rachelle the moment she entered the center and provided the encouragement and support she needed to start believing in herself again.