Gray came to Ramble on Pearl having some paid work experience and excellent skills. Immediately Gray’s job coach could tell that he was one of the most thoughtful, diligent, conscious apprentices that she had encountered. However, Gray felt his confidence was his biggest obstacle to obtaining meaningful community employment. Gray was very nervous around his job coaches, coworkers and especially customers. Recognizing early on that confidence-building would be critical for Gray’s ability shine in community employment, we immediately went to work building that self-assuredness in him. Through the supportive Ramble environment, Gray learned to make autonomous decisions, trust his judgment, and perhaps most importantly, allowed his incredible personality and attributes to shine through, to customers and coworkers alike!
Gray demonstrated his growth again when it was time to look for jobs in the community. Although he was still nervous about this process, he approached it with an amazing attitude and confidence like his team had never seen. Not only did he rock his interview and get offered a position on the spot… after starting he immediately began to integrate into his new work culture. His job coach watched him very intentionally work to get to know his co-workers at Boulder Housing Partners. The clearest example of this was when Gray, not even a month after starting the new position, participated in a group costume event for Halloween! Gray and all his coworkers dressed up as a flight crew and attendants with Gray, a pilot, absolutely embodying the theme.
Gray’s journey has been a shining example of the personal and professional growth that Ramble on Pearl staff get to witness every day.
