Student Story

Living in the United States for just three short years, Goodwill has played a major role in shaping the life of HangTran, a student with Evergreen Goodwill, as she now looks to now set down roots in the U.S. for both her and her daughter.

“Goodwill helped me a lot,” HangTran said.

Even amidst a pandemic, HangTran has carved out countless hours participating in Evergreen Goodwill’s Customer Service Essentials and Citizenship Test Preparation Courses at our Snohomish County Job Training and Education Center – in hopes of building a new life and transforming her career.

“I want to become a U.S. citizen, I want to vote,” HangTran said. “I would like to find a job with my experience. I was in administration in Vietnam for 10 years.”

But HangTran expressed gratitude to Goodwill for reasons beyond the knowledge she’s gained inside the classroom.

She described a moment during her time in Washington state when she needed to see a doctor, but she didn’t have medical insurance at the time. Goodwill’s network of case management support helped connect her with resources that helped her gain health care coverage, and, in turn, get the treatment she needed.

She’s hoping her story will inspire people in the community to support Goodwill and help others find the resources they need to thrive.

“If they need any help from Goodwill about food, about clothes, about maybe housing, health insurance … I would let them know that Goodwill help people a lot,” HangTran said.

An added bonus to furthering her education, HangTran said Goodwill has also changed her life by providing newfound confidence while communicating with others.

“Before [taking classes], I’m so scared when I speak English … I’m afraid that when I speak people don’t understand what I’m saying,” HangTran said. “I have friends … they teach me a lot.”

As for the future, HangTran’s primary focus is on her daughter’s wellbeing and education, but she also hopes to push forward with accomplishing her own goals and dreams – armed with a sense of courage she’s gained from her peers and instructors at Goodwill.

“Currently, I would like to find a place where I can volunteer to work, so that I can get experience working from the U.S. and how people in the U.S. work and a place to practice more English,” HangTran said.