Grow at Goodwill: 'Mz. Coco' Celebrates 10 Years!
Nicole “Mz. Coco” Green says she never meets a stranger. She takes her family values with her everywhere she goes. Family, she says, is exactly what brought her to Goodwill Southeast Georgia, where she’s now a Manager at the Jesup retail store.
“Before I got to (Goodwill), I was basically looking for a job. Single parent, three kids. You know, you do whatever for your kids. Me being a single mom, I didn’t have all the funds, so I went to work at the chicken plant.”
It was an experience which made her rethink what she wanted from her job.
“My arm got stuck in the machine, so it made me never forget that job,” says Mz. Coco, pointing out the mark still on her arm.
She recalls someone telling her Goodwill was hiring, with a new store in Jesup coming soon.
“My thing was, if I can just get the interview, I got the job. And that’s what I did,” laughs Mz. Coco. She remembers Ms. Shirley of Goodwill Southeast Georgia Human Resources hiring her on the spot.
“And I was like, if these people hire me, I ain’t going nowhere. And, 10 years later I’m still here. So I appreciate them just giving me a chance, giving me a shot.”
Mz. Coco says as a self-proclaimed “people person” a lot of joy comes from her interactions with coworkers and customers. It was this trait that stood out to her first manager, Petra, who saw a bright future for Mz. Coco at Goodwill.
“As far as going into management, (Petra) was one of the ones who pushed me, even when I didn’t feel like I could really do it. I was kind of afraid of the challenge of working on computers."
Mz. Coco recalled Petra encouraging her, pointing out her excellent people skills and explaining how she could trust her Goodwill team to help her obtain the computer skills she needed.
“I can still pick up the phone and call (Petra)…she’s been my biggest mentor. That’s the thing about Goodwill, we’re all a team.”
The growth didn’t stop there for Mz. Coco. She proudly shares some of her biggest accomplishments since going into management.
“Goodwill helped me...I now have a house. That has been great, to just be self-sufficient, not depend on anybody. Now, my kids are grown and gone, everybody’s doing good, and now, I’m living my best life, doing me!”
Mz. Coco smiles as she shares what she’s learned.
“Where you’ve been doesn’t define who you are. Just try to motivate someone, try to help somebody along the way.”
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