Stepping Into Her Dream Career With Independence: Paulette’s Story

Paulette is a recent graduate from Florida A&M where she earned a BS in Broadcast Journalism. Paulette feels that autism has contributed to her passion and excellence in writing because she “sees” things from a unique perspective which charges her creativity. Sheila, Paulette’s employU Employment Specialist (ES), feels the same way and was excited to start working with Paulette to find the opportunity that would launch her career.  

Sheila says, “Careers aren’t always found on job posting sites.” Sheila enjoys networking in the community and views all of her outings, both personal and professional, as networking opportunities for her clients. One day, she and Kim Galban-Countryman, the Executive Director at Independence Landing which is Tallahassee’s newest “safe, affordable residential community with a range of amenities for adults with intellectual and/or cognitive disabilities,” met about an unrelated topic. During the meeting, Ms. Galban-Countryman said “…if only I had someone to manage all of our social media,” and Sheila replied, “I have that person for you!” Sheila sent Ms. Galban-Countryman Paulette’s resume, complete with links to Paulette’s published writings, and an interview was arranged.    

As part of essential employment services offered by employU, Sheila and Paulette scheduled interview preparation to help Paulette focus on her skills and strengths and overcome her first interview “jitters.”  

After a successful interview, Paulette was welcomed to the team at Independence Landing for an On-the-Job Training (OJT) experience. Her first project, working directly with Ms. Galban-Countryman, was to promote Independence Landing’s grand opening. Paulette learned new publishing and marketing software to complement her acquired skills in a variety of Adobe products, graphic design, and video and audio editing applications. Not only did Paulette manage all of their social media, she was also active in all of the company’s publicity and promotional events, assisted with their web page, and created their newsletters. Upon completion of her OJT, Paulette permanently joined Independence Landing’s professional team as their Social Media Content Coordinator.  

Paulette and Ms. Galban-Countryman, together with Sheila, are excited that Paulette has this ground-floor opportunity to be a part of Tallahassee’s first independent residential housing complex for individuals with intellectual or cognitive disabilities. Paulette says this is her dream job and she is so excited that her career has been launched here. Paulette has always wanted her work to make a difference and to be part of an impacting organization. Independence Landing is just that place. 

Congratulations Paulette on your new career and thank you Independence Landing for offering this talented young woman an opportunity for professional development. 

For more information on employU’s employment services contact us using the form below or visit https://employu.org/adult-employment-services/  

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