Tiona’s Career Success Story in Her Own Words: Discovering Her Passion
May 10, 2021
Tiona shared this this story of her success in moving from food service jobs to a health care career:
Working for the University of Minnesota in food service was an amazing opportunity for me. I worked with great people and had the support of a caring team. Prior to that I was a cook for various restaurants and didn’t have a serious plan for my future career.
While I loved my restaurant job, the pandemic created a new challenge. The University usually takes a three-week winter break, but this year they extended it to seven weeks due to the pandemic. During the break, I wasn’t needed to work in the restaurant. Imagine seven weeks without a paycheck! That is when I woke up and realized I did not have a career. I needed new goals, challenges, and a career with stability. This shutdown at the University really kicked everything into gear. I enrolled in the Dislocated Worker program with Minnesota Job Partners, the career services division of the Teamsters Service Bureau, a CareerForce partner.