Not long ago, Danielle McInnis was working at Dunkin’ Donuts. She was struggling. “I didn’t have enough money to pay the bills. I didn’t have child care for my daughter. I just wasn’t making it.” Her family steered her to the MA Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) where agency staff told her she needed to be in school, training or in a job to qualify for financial assistance. She had a few choices about where to go to get help, but she chose CWS. “I found out CWS had hospitality training. I was interested in that.”
Danielle didn’t know just how much she would discover at CWS. “I had done maybe two interviews in my whole lifetime and I was scared. And I didn’t have a good resume.”
CWS helped Danielle with her resume. They helped her practice interviewing. “I practiced and practiced. Our teacher kept urging us to try to again, she wanted us to be our best.”
Danielle got an interview at Boston’s Boxer Hotel, renowned for its excellent customer service. “When I told my teacher I had an interview at that hotel, we spent one whole day just practicing my interview—every student interviewed me. When I got the job, I asked my general manager how I did in the interview. She said I did great!! I thank CWS for that.”
Last month, after a year and a half as a customer service representative, Danielle was promoted to front desk supervisor. It’s a big job. She loves it, and she’s really good at it. “I have more confidence. All my hard work has paid off. At CWS there’s more than one opportunity to choose what you want to do.”
Danielle keeps in touch with her friends at CWS. “I love the staff. I love, love, love my case manager! She’s amazing. I call her any time I need assistance or just someone to get me through a bumpy patch. They are there for me…and that matters a lot.”