My first job out of high school was at Deseret Industries in clothing processing. At first I was a bit intimidated, so I was grateful that I was scheduled to work alongside another associate who helped me until I could get the hang of the job. To my surprise, however, I caught on quickly and was soon able to reach my production goals. I chose my parents to be my mentors, and I was excited when we met with my coach who told them how hard I had worked and the success I had achieved.

Even though I was doing well at work, my team was concerned that I wasn’t talking much. I am naturally shy, but I also have speech problems and felt uncomfortable speaking out loud. I usually avoided talking at all, or when I did, I would whisper so I would not attract extra attention. As a team we discussed how this problem could be a real barrier to me finding a job in the future. Everyone joined in to help me, particularly my job coach. I set a goal to speak with two associates each week, and then two new associates each week thereafter. I became friends with the service missionaries and once a week I would read out loud to them. My speech did improve and my confidence grew.

I soon learned just how much my job coach cared about me. I had been at DI for about nine months when she told me how she had been praying about me. The inspiration came to call a friend and ask if they might be willing to help me find a promising position. Soon I was filling out the paperwork for an interview with a cleaning business for parks and recreation. It was a great opportunity and I was excited.

I am succeeding in my new job. I am more confident and am able to prove that I am willing to work hard. More important, however, is that I have been able to set a good example for my younger brother who also has the very special privilege of working at Deseret Industries.