Katherine
Katherine first came to Bottomless Closet in 2006. In her 40s, without any formal education, Katherine needed a job to become financially independent and escape her marriage.
“I came for help with my resume, but I found so much more,” Katherine says. “Community, friends, workshops. Coming to Bottomless Closet gave me encouragement to do things I thought I never could do; things I’d been told I was too old to do.”
With our support, Katherine found a job and the confidence to restart her educational journey: “At my lowest times I came away full of hope and encouragement. All my milestones are because of Bottomless Closet. Everything I’ve achieved — my High School Diploma, my Bachelors, my Master’s — all thanks to Bottomless Closet.”
But in February, after seven years in her job, at 61, Katherine was the victim of a subway assault. Traumatized and unable to leave home, Katherine was at one of her lowest points. She turned to us for help once again.
As a Case Manager working with individuals with HIV, Katherine’s job had been office based but after the pandemic she was asked to work in the field. The high crime rates in the areas where her clients lived made Katherine nervous about traveling on the subway and with good reason. Only a month after her beloved mother passed away, she was mugged on the way to see a client. The trauma and grief proved to be too much: “I know it’s not smart to leave a job before you have another one, but I had no choice. I tried to go back to work but I was so frightened on the subway. It got to be so bad I couldn’t leave my house.”
Alone and isolated, Katherine did what she had learned to do and reached out for help. Her first step was to join one of our workshops over Zoom where — even with her camera off — Katherine could connect with her “sisterhood.” As she came to more workshops, Katherine’s confidence grew and by April she felt ready to attend our Career Fair.
At the Career Fair, Katherine landed her “dream job” — an office-based role working with individuals over 55 seeking to get back to work. “If I could have designed the perfect job for me, this would be it,” Katherine says, beaming. “I’m working with people I care about. I understand their struggles and I get to share with them what I’ve learned.”
Katherine credits Bottomless Closet for helping her through the most difficult period in her life and reigniting her sense of hope: “I was ready to give up. Losing my mom, the incident on the train, losing my job — it was all too much. Today, I feel so happy. I’m nearly 62, but with Bottomless Closet behind me I know I can achieve anything. Anything.”
