Check out this inspiring story from one of our Environmental Technicians, Melissa Perri, delivered at the recent Women’s Empowerment Lunch held by STRIVE:
The day I graduated from High School, I started working to support myself. Some years, I worked two or three jobs at a time. I wasn’t getting rich, but I was getting by. Then two things happened that changed everything.
First, I was robbed at gunpoint while making a pizza delivery for Dominoes—it was terrifying. The worst part was they stole my car, my wallet, my phone, everything. So without my car I couldn’t work for nine days. Even though my bosses understood, I still lost nine days of pay, and for people like me, every day of work matter.
Then, amazingly, the police found my car. I was back in business… that is, until a few days later, when Hurricane Sandy hit. My basement apartment on Long Island was totally flooded, everything was destroyed, and my car—the one that the police had just found—was crushed under a fallen tree. With everything gone, I moved in with my brother in New York City.
I searched everywhere for work without success. I happened to share my desperation with a friend who was working at STRIVE. When she told me that STRIVE could help me get a job, I jumped at the chance and joined their Green Construction Program. From the first day of class, I decided that I was going to do everything I could to get the most out of STRIVE. Because, when you’ve lost everything, you have to start at the bottom and climb up.
But you still need help and encouragement. This is what I got in spades from STRIVE. The staff is tough but supportive. They gave me Hope, Inspiration…and love. STRIVE is about giving people a hand up and not a hand out. I worked hard and graduated from STRIVE’s training program with ten construction-related certifications. With my new skills, I was hired as a maintenance worker for a large law firm in Manhattan. It wasn’t my dream job, but it was a job.
Then STRIVE asked me to represent them at a workforce event. While I was there—proudly wearing my STRIVE badge—I literally walked into my next opportunity. I crashed headlong into Mr. Kris Almskog, Vice President at the Environmental Consulting firm of PW Grosser. I told him about my certifications and my desire to work in the environmental industry.
The next thing I knew, I was invited to interview and was offered a temporary job working on a project in Brooklyn. It was a foot in the door; I took it. I was able to work at the law firm during the week and at PW Grosser on Saturdays. When the project concluded, Grosser couldn’t keep me on, but I knew that I wanted to work there, it is such a great company. So, I kept in touch for a year and never gave up. It paid off. I’ll never forget the day I finally got THE CALL from Grosser.
It was January 21st, 2016. P.W. Grosser offered me a full time job as an Environmental Technician. I had finally landed my dream job with a dream company. I went home and did the biggest Happy Dance you can imagine. But the best part is that I have such a sense of pride, and a career with a future. I also volunteer as a guest speaker in some of STRIVE’S classes and I mentor men and women in STRIVE’S program at Riker’s Island. I do this because STRIVE changed my life in the most profound way……now I want to help other people change their lives, and there’s NOTHING more valuable than that.
