Opportunity Center Spotlight: NaTarsha Brown
NaTarsha Brown is the Career Service Specialist at the Opportunity Center in Statesboro. A long-time educator, she says she loves seeing people succeed.
“There’s nothing in here (the Opportunity Center) that you pay for. All our services are free.”
It’s a mission Career Service Specialist NaTarsha Brown is proud to support. As a long-time early-childhood educator, she is excited to continue encouraging others to learn and grow in her new role at the Statesboro Opportunity Center.
It is one of Goodwill Southeast Georgia’s four Opportunity Centers. There are also locations in Savannah, Waycross, and Brunswick. Anyone can call to set up a free appointment at a location with a Career Service Specialist like Brown.
Specialists work to provide support services and skills training to help clients assess their strengths and explore career choices with one-on-one coaching.
“I like helping people and I like seeing people succeed. Just being that supporter, that cheerleader, to help (people) get over the rough patches, it drives me,” says Brown.
While she acknowledges working with adults is different than working with children, she says it still feels natural to her.
“I’m still teaching, I’m just teaching adults on finding themselves. And I worked with a lot of my parents (in my former role). I always had a good relationship with my parents when I was in the classroom. This is just another aspect of supporting the whole family.”
Brown is excited to highlight the Opportunity Center’s partnership with nearby Ogeechee Tech.
"I always had a good relationship with my parents when I was in the classroom. This is just another aspect of supporting the whole family."
"I like helping people and I like seeing people succeed. Just being that supporter, that cheerleader to help (people) get over the rough patches, it drives me."
“The most rewarding moment is when (someone) walks in the door and tells me that they got a job, or they’ve figured out what they want to do.”
“I look at the certificates and help (clients) find one that matches up with what they enjoy doing. If it’s something that you’re interested in, you’re more likely to stick with it,” says Brown.
Ogeechee Tech has many options to choose from including Accounting, Business Management, Early Childhood Education, Practical Nursing, Culinary Arts and more.
Goodwill’s Opportunity Centers provide support services such as scholarships, transportation and career clothing vouchers, and referrals to partner organizations. This helps remove any barriers clients might face so they can reach their goals.
Learning opportunities are also available through Goodwill’s Career Campus online training. “We do a computer assessment where we determine where (clients) are skill-wise,” Brown says. “It offers training as far as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. They can go at it at their own pace.”
The Statesboro center has a computer lab that is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays for people who may not have computers at home to complete the training.
Brown shares that many people she has worked with so far are looking for better employment opportunities. To help them reach their goals, Brown hosts job fairs at the Opportunity Center, which are listed on Facebook. Some frequent employers attending include Great Dane and Georgia Transformers.
Brown says she is following a new lead with Coastal Transportation, a company working on bringing a bus service to Statesboro.
“The most rewarding moment is when (someone) walks in the door and tells me that they got a job, or they’ve figured out what they want to do.”
Ready to start your journey with the Opportunity Center?
There are four locations in Savannah, Statesboro, Waycross and Brunswick. All services are funded by the sale of donated goods at Goodwill Southeast Georgia
retail stores.