Ready, on day one
Bridges helped Ku prepare for the job, the interview, and everything in between.
“They helped me prepare for the job, for the interview, and for everything that I need. I'm glad Bridges was there for me.”
Job interviews are hard for anyone. They're harder when the questions don't fit how you think, when the room is unfamiliar, when no one has walked you through what to expect.
Ku's Bridges Youth Employment Specialist sat with her through every step. Practice interviews. Application forms. The unwritten rules of a workplace that no one teaches you until you're already failing them.
By the time she interviewed at Lincoln Park Zoo, the interview itself wasn't the obstacle. The preparation had been so thorough that the rest was just doing what she'd already practiced.
She got the job — and the Bridges support didn't stop there. Coaching continued into her first months on the floor. When something at work surprised her, she had someone to call. When she did something well, she had someone to recognize it.
Ku still works at Lincoln Park Zoo. She likes it. She's glad Bridges was there.
In May 2024, Ku received the Stephen G. Marriott Youth Achievement Award at the Bridges Gala in Washington, D.C. — presented by Board Chair Richard E. Marriott before more than 1,000 guests, with Broadway star Ali Stroker as the evening's entertainer.
Stories like this happen because of partnership.
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