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Natalie's Second Shot

Natalie, age 17, had just come home from high school, where she lived in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, when she heard the news that her father suddenly passed away. She didn't know how to cope with all of the grief that struck her. One minute she was studying for a math final and the next minute everything in her world changed. She immediately left the house and spent that night out with friends, trying desperately not to think about her sorrow.

Natalie wanted to find a means to numb the pain; she dropped out of high school and spent the next several months partying with friends. During this time, she heard about New Door Ventures through a friend who had worked at New Door’s bicycle shop. Natalie briefly considered coming to New Door for a job interview, but let the thought slip her mind as she continued to party.

Once again, Natalie’s world changed.

The friend that told her about New Door died due to a drug-related incident. This woke Natalie up and she knew that she needed to make a change. In memory of her friend that passed away, Natalie decided to get her GED and come down to New Door to look for a job.

Natalie met Carin, a case manager at New Door, who worked closely with Natalie to prepare for a job. Natalie worked as an intern, through New Door, at an Ally job partnership, It’s Just Lunch (a match-making service for busy professionals). As this was Natalie’s first job, she was nervous and knew that she needed to work hard to prove herself. She started at It’s Just Lunch with simple filing and copying. She showed a lot of aptitude and was trusted to answer incoming phone calls. Natalie slowly earned the respect of her supervisor and colleagues and started to thrive for the first time since her father passed away. After her four-month internship ended, the Director of It's Just Lunch offered Natalie a job as a match-making coordinator.

Natalie continues to work full-time and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business. She credits New Door with giving her the first opportunity to get ready for work and life!