“Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.”- Colin Powell.
This quote is one that Kyle Hewlett used to describe his work on the Jobs and Education Team (JET) with Circles because, to him, it encapsulates what he finds the most rewarding aspect of his position within the organization. “Witnessing the Circle leaders gain confidence in their accomplishments, which results in bigger smiles,” explained Kyle, before quoting the former four-star general and Secretary of State.
Kyle has been with Circles for a little over a year, and in his current position on JET, he reviews résumés, conducts employment searches, puts Circles leaders in touch with prospective employers, and facilitates workshops for résumés, interviews, and employer panels. Later this month, he will take another step forward in the organization by becoming an ally.
While Kyle credits his time with Circles for opening his eyes to another aspect of America that he has never personally experienced, struggles of his own are what brought him on board in the first place. As a long personal relationship was ending, he was attending graduate school and began seeing a counselor to help him with the end of the relationship. During his relationship, he came to find that conversations about money, especially when you don’t have a lot, are quite difficult to have, even with a loved one. So when he was sitting in the waiting room before a counseling session and overheard an overwhelmed young man talking to a relative about college and housing prices for the upcoming semester, he was champing at the bit to interject and provide some food for thought, but he didn’t feel it was his place to offer unsolicited advice to a stranger in a waiting room. After speaking to his counselor about this dilemma and reading the book First Time Manager for grad school, he was inspired to speak to his program manager at work about employer-sponsored volunteer time that would allow him to have the kind of conversations he so badly wanted to have that day in the waiting room. He began looking for volunteer opportunities and found a description that read “Jobs, Education, Finance Coaches/Team Members” with Friends In Deed. He continued reading and instantly knew that this was the type of volunteer work he was looking for. As he submitted his application to be a part of the Jobs and Education Team, he couldn’t help but remember the young kid in the waiting room that day, and he knew this would give him a chance to help other people who found themselves suffering financial hardships.
“I used to be apprehensive about having conversations about poverty, especially having zero knowledge on the subject, but I found that having an open mind and allowing my mental model of poverty to change is the key to being a volunteer with Circles,” he explained.
Kyle credits his experience with Circles with humbling him and making him feel more grounded within his community.
“Being part of Circles has made me realize that no matter how much we believe we have our lives together, we all need to dig deep within ourselves to truly understand if ‘I’ve got this.’ If you don’t, ask for help. There’s someone out there that’s experienced a similar situation and can help shepherd you to success.”