When Shaheera Alnatshia first migrated from Jordan to the United States in 2011, she was seeking a better life.
But in 2017, facing domestic violence, her husband kicked her and her four children out of the house. She was left homeless, jobless, and in crisis.
Once she was on her own, she was taken to a shelter with her children in Tennessee, and it was here that she was introduced to Goodwill.
While many know Goodwill as a thrifting destination, the organization also provides countless support services to those in need. Through a partnership with Google, folks like Alnatshia can train for and earn Google’s IT Support Professional Certification.
And that’s exactly what she did.
“The Google IT Support Professional program is a training program offered by Goodwill and developed by Google,” Ian Weir, a Goodwill training programs coordinator, said in a video. “It’s designed to help give people the skills they need for entry-level employment in the IT field.”
The process was not easy, and Alnatshia was persistent in her journey to pass the tests required to receive her certification.
“I remember I failed two times in this test,” she said. “It took me about three to four months to finish my Google IT Support Certificate.”
But ultimately, she did it.
“When I passed it, I was yelling ‘Yay! I passed it.’ And all my kids woke up and told me, ‘Mom, what’s going on?’” Alnatshia recalled.
“I told them, ‘I earned the Google IT Support Certificate.’ I told them, ‘This means so much for our life.’”
Once Alnatshia earned her certificate, she landed an apprenticeship at Accenture and later completed the Google Project Management Professional Certificate through Goodwill’s programming, as well.
“Once I started with my apprenticeship, I felt like I can earn more, I can get more, and I can do more,” Alnatshia said.
Aside from housing, the National Coalition for the Homeless says that “meaningful and sustainable employment” is paramount in creating and maintaining housing stability for vulnerable people.
“Connecting people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness with job training and placement programs is critical to ensure they have the tools they need for long-term stability and success,” the organization concludes.
While Goodwill has had its share of controversies, especially in regard to low wages and exploitative practices for its store employees, the organization represents the potential of job training and skill-building to change lives.
Alnatshia is a testament to this.
Now, she is thriving in a full-time, permanent role as an application development analyst with Accenture.
Since then, she has been recognized with a number of awards from Goodwill, including the Achiever of the Year Impact Award in 2021, and the GII Graduate of the Year Award in 2024.
“Goodwill opened the door for me and provided a great opportunity,” Alnatshia said in a video when she was recognized in 2024.
“They offered all the tools to be successful. I was ready, but I [didn’t] know how to start. Goodwill was the light at the end of the tunnel for us. It changed our life completely.”
Header image courtesy of Mike Mozart (CC BY 2.0)
