I’ve been a transit employee and an ATU Local 265 member since 2013. As a single parent of four children, I knew I needed a good job with good benefits so I could provide and sustain a financially stable foundation for my family. I was working in the medical field prior to becoming an operator and I was just not making it. Through the Joint Workforce Investment Program (JWI Program), a Labor Management Partnership, I received a mentor right out of Technical Training. My mentor provided me with the soft skills I needed to be successful in my new career, helped me pave my own path, encouraged me to be involved with our union and inspired me to become a mentor the first chance I had. I wanted to give back to the program by assisting new operators with guidance I had received; I wanted to pay it forward. I have always enjoyed helping others. My experience coming to VTA and being an ATU Local 265 sister has been amazing, and I will be forever thankful for the opportunity I was given to do what I love to do.
