Precious’s Story

Precious is 20 years old, with a 15-month-old daughter named Faith. Precious came to New Moms in early 2011, after her family kicked her out. She and her daughter moved into New Moms’ Cooperative Living Program, and she quickly enrolled in the Academy of Professional Development.  From the start, Precious wanted to take advantage of every service New Moms had to offer — and with a  career goal of becoming a social worker, she was invited to stay at Bright Endeavors for the duration of her transitional job.  In this role, Precious got to develop her leadership skills, training as an intern leader on the Bright Endeavors production floor.

While at Bright Endeavors, Precious was accepted into the Chicago Housing Authority program, and moved from New Moms’ Cooperative Living Program to her own apartment, where she has been stably housed for over 6 months.

After completing her internship, Precious moved into the job search phase.  It was challenging, and for several weeks, Precious went on many interviews, without being offered a job.  However, when a new 6-month Team Leader position opened up at Bright Endeavors, Precious applied for, and was offered the position.  She started in September 2011, and has since trained more than 30 participants in candle making, inventory, customer service, shipping, and bookkeeping.

Over this time, Precious has become a confident, self-aware leader who is self-directed, professional, kindhearted, and thoughtful.  She is persistent, and has developed strong conflict resolution skills.  Her communication skills have improved tremendously.