My name is Laura. I am a WSC AmeriCorps Member serving with WorkSource in Wenatchee, WA. In my position, I help disadvantaged people who are struggling with the loss of their jobs. I help customers with creating new emails, “worksourcewa” accounts, and “saw” accounts; resetting usernames and passwords; creating resumes; and looking for jobs. I also teach a basic computer class on Fridays. I usually help around 6-8 people every day. 

In the last months, I had a diligent customer, her name is Patricia. She was a job seeker that frequently came to WorkSource. We became good friends after spending many hours in the resource room together as she was always looking for my assistance because she hated computers. A little history on Patricia is that she was new to the area and felt very alone. She was desperately looking for jobs as she said that soon she wouldn’t have money to pay her expenses. Patricia was a little bit choosy about jobs because she only wanted to work with children. It was hard to find a job for her as she had no certification. I helped her apply for many jobs. She got interviews, but she did not get the jobs. Then, she started studying to get some daycare certification that she needed. She spent hours in the Resource room at WorkSource. I always encouraged her. 

Later, I had to take some time off because of my mother’s health. When I came back to WorkSource, Patricia had disappeared. I asked my coworkers if they have seen her. They told me that she had found a job as a teacher’s assistant. Last week, she came to tell me the good news. Unfortunately, I wasn’t at the office that day. I was so happy for her because I knew how difficult her path had been to finding a job. One day, I was at church and I saw her. She hugged me and thanked me for all my support. She also invited me to a coffee to celebrate her new job. What an honor!