Her Story
About Celestine
I've been working in customer service and nursing for about 18 years now because I truly love people and helping people. To me, that's the most rewarding work - just being nice to someone, going out of your way, and treating them like a person can actually make someone's day. Right now, I work as a house supervisor at a group home with juvenile ladies with disabilities. I make the schedules, do the ordering, and make sure my clients have clothes and everything they need. I've only been there for 3 months, but I already got promoted to house supervisor, which I'm really excited about. My journey hasn't been easy - I worked fast food jobs and all kinds of jobs with my bachelor's degree, and there were times when people who didn't even have a high school diploma were talking to me like I was retarded. But I worked my way to get where I'm at, and it has not come easy. I honestly feel like God has me on this earth to help others in need, to guide them on their way, and at the same time help myself guide my own way. Over the years, I've met so many people that I still have contact with to this day, and that's what I find most rewarding about my work - the people I come in contact with.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Celestine
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my kids. After their dad left, my main goal was to raise my kids by myself - not to need child support, not to try to put him in jail or any of that crazy stuff, just to do what I have to do as a mother for my kids. Trust me, it was hard, and I did a lot of sacrifices to be able to do that, but my mindset was to get my kids grown and to give them the best life that I can give them that I didn't have. I'm not saying that they had the best life, but they had everything that they asked for, and they know that it was all me. That's what kept me going and drove me to succeed.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I received was in school when they were real big on showing us to sell ourselves as a brand. We're a brand, and we have to sell ourselves. At first, honestly, it was tough - I'm like, how can I really sell myself to people? How could I really get myself these jobs? It was tough, and I worked fast food jobs and all kinds of jobs with my bachelor's degree. But that advice about branding myself and understanding my worth stuck with me, even though it took time to figure out how to apply it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I want to take my story to be a testimony and inspire other young ladies that they can do it by themselves, even though they're a single mom or whatever. Women can do it. Women rock. We downplay ourselves far too much, for too long. My message is: you can do this. You gotta just keep on going. Sometimes the road is heavy, and it's like you're not gonna make it, but you made it! And that's the main thing - you made it. Really, in the end, what it took to get there doesn't matter. Just keep pushing forward.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important value to me is helping people. I honestly feel like that is what God has me on this earth to do - to see about others in need, to help them, to guide them on their way, and at the same time to help myself guide my own way. People don't know how it feels just to be nice to someone, to go out of your way and just be nice to them and treat them like a person. It means a lot - you can actually make someone's day. That's what drives me in both my work and personal life. I want to be someone to get someone's hopes up one day, to tell them 'you can do this, you gotta just keep on going.'
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