Parris
In March of 2010, Parris Friday was a free man. The previous 17 years had been spent behind bars – time Parris used to plan a future where he could “correct the wrong” he’d done.
By September, Parris was an inspiration to hundreds at a Goodwill Occupational Skills Training graduation ceremony as a 39-year-old accomplished graduate and class speaker – a testament that you do get second chances.
“I made a choice in my life in 1993, which led me to incarceration for 17 years,” Parris told the crowd at the September 2010 graduation. “I hung out with the wrong crowd, which led me to selling drugs, carrying weapons and all kinds of stuff that broke the law.
“The negative side of me is not the part of the resume I want you to remember; it’s how I reinvented myself.”
The month after his release, Parris was met with frustration and roadblocks. Living in a halfway house in Charlotte, the former Olympic High School student would search for jobs during the day, only to have doors closed in his face because of his criminal background.
He refused to give up – reminding himself of the personal commitment he made to himself. Parris’ case worker recommended Goodwill – a place he only associated with “clothing.” Walking through the doors of Goodwill’s Career Development Center on Freedom Drive, Parris says this is where he started the process of reinventing himself.
He enrolled in the construction program. Shortly after working with his career counselors Anastasia Knight and Butch Backhaus, Parris received his first break – a job as a dishwasher at a local restaurant. Then came the second job – a full-time cooking role at the hospital – all while going to class during the day.
Today, Parris is a proud Goodwill graduate, working at a Charlotte hospital as a chef. He credits Goodwill’s job training program in construction and green skills training, and the one-on-one career counseling he received, for giving him the chance he needed to change his life.
Parris’ hard work was realized at graduation – being selected as the class speaker, his two jobs and finishing the program with a “great purpose in life.”
“In March, I didn’t see myself getting to this point in my life. I had so many things stacked against me,” says Parris, who hopes to use his construction skills to land a maintenance position down the road at the hospital.
“Just because you have stumbling blocks in your life doesn’t mean you can’t get the help and guidance you need,” Parris adds. “There are places out there like Goodwill that care and are willing to help.
“I’m living proof of that.”