Ebony shifts her perspective and sets her goals
Meet Ebony, a Cara participant who started her journey with us in February 2022 and is currently a Front Desk Agent at The Hyatt Centric Chicago. In honor of #GivingTuesday, she shares how she overcame her struggles and is paving a new path for herself.
A shift in perspective
“I’ve worked in a lot of different industries. I started out as a hair stylist and I had my own salon. After years of doing hair, I realized I wasn’t fulfilled anymore, so I switched to a job in the healthcare industry. That job ended up being really demanding, and I decided to leave that position.
“Once I left that job, I became strained financially. It was very stressful, it was no way to live. I knew I needed to find something to change my situation.”
Turning my situation around
“I got referred to Cara through my social worker. I was telling her about what I was going through, and all of my financial struggles, and she told me to check Cara out.
“Once I got to Cara, I immediately realized how wonderful the people are, how helpful they are, and how amazing the program is. I kept wishing I could tell everyone about it. Everyone was so nice and constantly checking up on me. I also liked that they offered me a temporary job while I looked for something more permanent. It helped to be able to earn money while still exploring my options.
“I took an interest in this position with Hyatt. The HR Director at Hyatt was excited, because she has a great relationship with Cara, and knew they would send a trustworthy candidate. I interviewed for the position, and I got hired on the same day!”
Succeeding in life
“Within the six months I’ve been at Hyatt, I’ve been nominated for team member of the month three times, mentioned in multiple guest surveys, and I always come in first out of my team in terms of my performance measurements.
“Within the six months I’ve been at Hyatt, I’ve been nominated for team member of the month three times, mentioned in multiple guest surveys, and I always come in first out of my team in terms of my performance measurements.”
“Now, I can now support myself and my family, I pay my bills on time, and I got my own car!
“I’m also going to school to get my associate degree at Malcolm X College. It takes a lot for me to both work and take classes, but I feel like everything I learned at Cara is helping me manage that. This degree is going to help me climb the ladder to do bigger and better things.
“I have so many goals for myself now. I may move to the sales department at Hyatt, but I’ve also been looking into hotel management. There’s a lot of options for me now, and I couldn’t be more grateful!
“My daughter is going through the same program now and I am excited for her to be on this journey too. I love referring people to Cara. They were there for me when I needed help, so the best thing I can do now is give that same opportunity to others.”
This season, your support of Cara Collective is critical to furthering our mission of eradicating poverty and increasing access, equity, and opportunity. Please consider making a financial gift this #GivingTuesday to support job seekers like Ebony. Thank you for your support!
