“Fresh Start contributed to everything that I have in me right now. It contributed to my voice, my foundation, my whole way of restructuring my thought process.”
Sonya* knew she wanted to be an electrician. She had earned other electrician certifications, but they never translated into a job. Stuck in work she didn’t love, she quietly kept searching for a way forward.
“I had to go back to a job that I didn’t like,” Sonya shared. “Within that timeframe, I researched more programs that were available, and I came across Fresh Start.”
The pull to leave her current role became too strong to ignore. Sonya was excelling at her job in class action settlements, but success wasn’t the same as pride. One morning, without a plan or a safety net, she walked in and quit.
“I went in and gave my supervisor my card and just quit…I felt it was needed and I didn’t care if I didn’t prepare for that moment or those upcoming weeks. I knew that there was going to be something new to get into.”
Without a job, Sonya had more time than ever to dedicate herself to her dream of becoming an electrician. She attended a Fresh Start event and heard a woman in construction share her story. She applied for the Clean Energy & Trades program on the spot.
“I had something to look forward to and get the ball rolling. Fresh Start provided me with an exciting plan within the pathway I was trying to create for myself.”
What Sonya found at Fresh Start went far beyond the technical training needed to become an electrician. She found a community that helped her rebuild confidence, her voice, and her sense of self. She shared that she felt comfortable expressing her challenges and opening up to others to get the support that she needed.
“Fresh Start gave me power and control, and a way to learn a new thought process so that I could handle my everyday life, thoughts, and emotions,” Sonya reflected. “Now I can connect with myself in ways that I didn’t fully know before.”
Sonya’s newfound confidence shone when it mattered most. When a guest speaker, a recruiter from one of the largest construction groups in Arizona, visited the program classroom, Sonya had already prepared her resume and ensured it reached the recruiter.
“I listened to her speak, and everyone asked questions, but my goal was to leave my resume. I gave it to her and took a picture of her card and applied to the company.”
Two weeks later, Sonya had an interview. By the end of it, she had a job offer.
“I was amazed to receive an offer at the end of the interview,” Sonya beamed.
None of it happened without real hardship. Sonya attended Fresh Start while living in a domestic violence shelter. On her first day of the program, her car broke down, forcing her to ride city buses for over 90 minutes to and from class. For weeks, she organized rides from various bus routes and Lyft, with support from the women in her cohort.
“Those challenges were real, and it didn’t stop me…The women in the program surrounded me; they checked in and called me before class to make sure I was okay. Sometimes they’d give me rides home.”
Sonya refused to let old thought patterns pull her under. That first day when her car broke down, she caught herself thinking, ‘Here we go again with my issues and challenges.’ She could’ve fallen into the negative trap, but instead held onto the feeling of courage she gained at Fresh Start.
“I got smiles when I walked in the door. Staff said, ‘You’re okay. We’re glad you’re here.’ That was everything. I didn’t let that thought process or those negative thoughts beat me at all.”
A mother of five, Sonya had dedicated years to raising her children toward independence. Fresh Start became the place where she finally gave herself the same investment.
“I already invested my time, and I was able to get myself back here. I was so close, I almost had this certificate in my hand, and it was only up to me to mess it up…that was my focus. I couldn’t let any challenges stop me. I had to keep going no matter what.”
Sonya accepted a job offer as an electrical apprentice at Nox Group and gained a clearer understanding of the union pathway ahead of her: a secure, long-term route into the trade she came to Fresh Start to pursue.
“I learned that the union is always there no matter what; whichever route you go, you can always come back to the union and be in a more secure place. So, my goal was to complete the program and to build off it successfully, and that’s exactly what I did.”
With a new career in her grasp, Sonya is now working with her domestic violence shelter on an exit plan, a concrete step toward her own home and independence.
“I feel like I have more opportunities. Being in a domestic violence shelter and coming to the Fresh Start program and now being given a job offer, I’m in a position where now I can work with the shelter on an exit date and get into my own place.”
Looking back, Sonya credits Fresh Start not just with a career path, but with rebuilding who she is.
“Fresh Start contributed everything that I have in me right now. It contributed to my voice, my foundation, and my whole way of restructuring my thought process. I’m happy where I am right now. I walk with more confidence than I ever have.”