Midwest

Christina is an energetic young woman who works at Bothwell Hospital in Sedalia, Missouri as a part-time dietary aide. She enjoys her job and earns well above minimum wage. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Christina’s work conditions and responsibilities changed. As a result, the nature of her supports also shifted from having an on-site job coach to remote supports via iPhone. With the support of her provider, the Center for Human Services (CHS), Christina was able to alter her position and supports and maintain employment.

Jeremy lives in Griffith, Indiana, and says he is always busy and trying to better himself. Since graduating from high school, he has held a 35- to 40-hour-a-week job at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, is completing his final semester towards a college degree in office administration, and is pursuing his passion to be a magician.

Mia lives in Des Moines, Iowa. She enjoys running, swimming, bicycling, movies, and traveling with her friends and boyfriend. She also enjoys speaking and singing in front of large groups of people. In high school, Mia participated in theater and speech competitions. She also is an avid reader and writer and enjoys communicating through her written work and videos. Mia is now putting all of these skills and interests together to run her own business.

After Josh graduated from high school, he decided to gain additional experience as an AmeriCorps volunteer. Like many young people, he had tried various jobs in high school, but still wasn't sure what kind of job he really wanted. His time with AmeriCorps helped him take the next step toward a career. In fact, Josh has opened his own business as a result of knowledge and experience he gained in AmeriCorps.

Emilea lives in a small town in Iowa. She loves spending time with her family and her pets, CeCe and Harley. She also owns and operates her own coffee shop, Em's Coffee Company. With the support of her family, Emilea planned for a career and then used local contacts and several funding streams to start her own business.

Zachary lives in Hammond, Indiana and says he has been programming computers since he was eleven years old. For the last two and a half years, he has worked part-time for Alkon Consulting, a local web design studio. His boss met Zachary through his job developer, reviewed his work to see if he was ready to work in the web design field, and decided to hire him.

Emmitt is a man in his mid-20s from Indiana. He describes himself as loving, caring, and good at teamwork. Outside of work, he likes to read and participate in the Best Buddies program.