Success Stories

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

– Yulia

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

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.

“Goodwill is there because they care, and they want to see us be successful.”

– Inci

“They helped me get through my homelessness and bring back my mental state and helped me find Cheri again. They gave me back what I had lost – the belief in me. That is what Goodwill did for me.”

– Cheri

“Goodwill helped our family a lot.”

– Chynna

Meet Chynna! When Chynna first moved from the Philippines to Seattle in 2013, she felt self-conscious about her English-speaking ability and found the idea of starting a new career in a new place nerve-racking. She enrolled in Goodwill’s free Retail & Customer Service course. The class helped Chynna develop new job and people skills, and created a community environment that built her confidence. Now, we’re honored to have Chynna on the Goodwill team in her leadership role as a Production Supervisor at our Capitol Hill store.

“It’s important for me to talk about mental health issues, because there is a stigma that had affected me in the past. I want people to be able to talk about it and not be ashamed. After all I’ve been through, I finally like myself, and I’m going to school and fulfilling a goal. I will be getting my associate’s degree, and I think that’s amazing. I struggled, it’s a challenge, but I’m doing it.”

– Diane

“The youth look up to me. I’m young, but knowing they look up to me is kind of different, because at one point I was the person looking up to staff.”

– Martrez

Martrez graduated from Seattle’s Cleveland High School in 2019. Before he connected with Goodwill, Martrez compared himself to his peers who lacked interest in school and weren’t on the right track. After building relationships and receiving guidance from Goodwill’s Youth Year-Round Program Job Training & Education (JTE) staff, Martrez’s mindset shifted.

“Goodwill helped me turn around my life.”

– Nika

“I believe this internship offers a lot of help for the lower-income students – not for the students who have the highest grades or have the most amount of money or already have a place in college,” Nika said. “Goodwill speaks for students who are struggling in an environment they don’t think they can get out of. It’s good to give an opportunity for others who need it, and Goodwill does that.”

“You’re learning things, and you’ve got really supportive people there that want to help you grow and succeed in life.”

– Rodney

“The internship is a pretty good opportunity, especially if you are trying to see what work is like,” Rodney said. “You’re learning things, and you’ve got really supportive people there that want to help you grow and succeed in life.”