My Goodwill Story – Tajay

What motivates you to accomplish your goals? For Tajay, it’s making his mother proud. This Mother’s Day is the perfect time to celebrate the encouragement and support that moms provide through the story of what Tajay has achieved.  

Tajay came to the U.S. alone without his support system. He wanted to make changes to his life and provide for himself. That’s when he met someone from Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainier Region (Tacoma, WA) while he was staying at a youth homeless shelter. The connection was life-changing for Tajay.  

He started working at the Goodwill® operations center and excelled. It was quickly clear to his managers that Tajay was an excellent employee. He did such a great job that after his trial period, the team was excited to offer him a full-time position.  

Now that he is employed, Tajay has been able to save enough money to get his own housing. He has a new outlook on life that has had a ripple effect on everything he does. Tajay even said that his new position makes him feel more inclined to stay away from people who don’t want to accomplish anything, which he says will help him keep out of trouble. 

 “When I come here, I get so motivated,” Tajay explained. “All of the people here are very hard workers, and it makes me want to work even harder…I have a full-time job, and I am going to have benefits. I never thought I would be able to say I have benefits!”  

Aside from making his mom proud, Tajay has plenty to be proud of himself. With a chance and a job, he changed his life.  

If this Mother’s Day is inspiring you to do more with your life, connect with your local Goodwill career center to see what’s possible.