When Ashli (she/her) entered FareStart’s Barista & Customer Service Program, she was starting from zero. She had never been a coffee drinker and was nervous about working with customers. By graduation, she felt confident behind the register, had learned to thrive in a busy café and was beginning to picture herself as a future leader. “I really want to keep learning and growing and become better at what I do,” Ashli shared. Below is the speech she gave at the Guest Chef Night before graduating from FareStart.
Hello everyone,
Thank you all for coming out tonight. My name is Ashli. I am a FareStart student in the Barista & Customer Service Program, and I’m set to graduate tomorrow. I want to share with all of you the story of how FareStart helped me turn my whole life around.
About a year ago, I was kicked out of my house and was homeless, jobless, and depressed with no family to support me. I lived in the middle of nowhere in Southwest Oregon and had no resources to help me. That time in my life felt so dark, like I had hit rock bottom and had no path forward.
So I took a risk and rode a bus all the way up to Seattle to try and find a new life for myself. I went through phases of couch surfing and living in shelters while looking for employment, but I never had any luck and it was a day by day struggle. I was lacking experience in both employment and life skills. My transitional youth housing place, Labateyah, referred me to the FareStart program.
I applied for the Barista & Customer Service program and got called in for an interview. I was so excited that I couldn’t stop smiling the whole day. Everyone I met was so nice and inviting, so I had a good feeling things were going to work out. You can tell that every employee deeply cares about the students. Not long after my interview day, I was accepted into the program.
Upon being accepted, I immediately qualified for Rapid Rehousing which was very exciting. I had my own place for the first time in my life. I also got my EBT food benefits back and could afford to feed myself again. With the income from FareStart incoming, I was also able to afford other necessities.
I had chosen the barista program, but I actually didn’t know the first thing about coffee. I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to keep up. But my wonderful trainer, Tim, went step by step to carefully teach me everything I needed to know, from what goes in each beverage to how to operate the machines. I learned how to use manual and automatic machines so that I would have the knowledge and skills to work in any coffee shop.
Alongside the barista training, I also got case management and employment support to help line up a job for after graduation. I learned how to touch up my resume, write cover letters, and answer interview questions. These were skills that I never learned in school or from my family. Because of this, I can now handle job search independently.
Then came phase 2. My trainer, Peter, led me through working in a real restaurant. I was able to put all my skills to the test working the barista, cashier, and table runner positions. Gaining so much confidence in the cashier position made me so proud of myself, because if I look back to 2 years ago, I never would have thought I would see myself so successful in such a social environment. In fact, getting up in front of everyone to tell my story would have been impossible for me before. Furthermore, I enjoyed working as a team with both the FareStart staff and the other students in my cohort. Those students, Naomi and Sofie, became my real friends who I will stick with even outside of the program.
Reflecting more on my past, I realized that it was never my fault that my life was so awful. It was only my environment that held me back from becoming the person I was meant to be. FareStart gave me the environment I needed to find my worth. For that I am extremely grateful. It’s really amazing how much my mental health has improved throughout the program. In fact, I even graduated from therapy.
I’m now in phase 3, working in a busy cafe in South Lake Union with my trainer, Bri. I have adapted to a much more fast-paced environment, where I surprise myself every day by how comfortable I am with taking on such a big rush of orders. After getting to this point, I’m able to look into the future with hope. I have overcome all of my greatest fears, and can handle anything life throws at me. I have the knowledge and structure in my life to prevent myself from ever falling that low again, which makes me so glad that I never gave up. And I couldn’t have gotten here without the help of the amazing team at FareStart. I want to give a special thanks to my trainers Tim, Peter, and Bri for guiding me towards success.
I hope you all enjoy the food and the rest of your night. Thank you!
