Faces of the Door

"The Door inspires me to see opportunity in everyone every day…"

Courtney is the Supervisor of Career and Education Support Services in The Door’s EPOCH program. She has been working here at The Door for about three years, ever since she decided to make the switch to non-profit work and "fell in love" with The Door.

Since she started, Courtney has helped shape the EPOCH program into what it is today — a comprehensive career and education program that strives to meet young people where they are and help them build strong, successful futures. As a Coach, Courtney is a member of a unique support team that provides one-on-one support to young people who need it. She also helps to lead EPOCH’s four-week job training program called Straight-To-Work.

In her work at The Door, Courtney has formed strong relationships with many of her clients as she helps them "leave the nest," as she calls it. "I actually have a little clay bird that I bring out as my clients cycle out of the program. It’s a pretty funny image, me with the bird," she laughs. Since she started, Courtney has been able to see upwards of 200 young people leave this nest, many of whom still report back on how they’re doing.

Success is not always easy to come by, though. "We often talk about 'breaking the cycle of poverty,'" explains Courtney, "and it can seem so immense, so huge. The important thing is to help our young people see opportunity and possibility in themselves. The problems are vast, but I can tell you that we are making progress — I see it every day, one young person at a time."