COVID IN KENTUCKY....PART II

After tax season ended in April of 2019, I gracefully had to make my transition out of H and R Block.  I continued working at the non profit job I had as an on-call parent aide. I worked there less than 25 hours a week, sometimes less than 10!! This part time job at Lonesome Pine on Youth was all that I could find in my area job wise. Very limited job opportunities in this Southwest VA area!! But, sometimes, when you are taking a leap of faith, you have to just trust the process. I went on numerous interviews in 2019. There was lots and lots of rejection. It wasn't a diss against me. Even though that area of Virginia did have some racism at times when it came to getting hired, I knew at some point God was going to lift me out of that area into one where there were more opportunities for people of color!! 

And that is exactly what happened! I worked my part time job on and of until November of 2019. I briefly got hired to work at another call center for less than 30 days. That was entirely too stressful so my time there was short. My cousin Monica was gracious enough to let me stay with her until I found work. I moved to Kentucky in February 7, 2020 and the Coronavirus swept through the United States around March. Schools and churches were closed. Working from home became the new office and Zoom became the new job interview. I had 3 Zoom interviews from March to April and the other 5 were in person interviews. It was extremely difficult going on interview after interview and being told no. 

I began writing blog posts and writing grants for Castar Applications in January of 2020.This would end up being a full time position where I would blog about how Castar was the entertainment app needed for entertainers to network in Hollywood, as well as find and write grants for the company. I have also talked about diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry for the Castar blog.

Since Covid began, I have discovered an all new level of perseverance and true grit in myself. Although businesses are slowly opening back up again, during the mandatory shut down, I learned how to be very resourceful. I learned the true definition of being grateful in the small. My hope is that the Coronavirus has made people look at life from a different lens. 

How To Snag a Job During a Pandemic!

March of 2020 began an entirely new way of living for the entire world! A pandemic was ushered into 2020 in the United States. COVID-19 aka the Coronavirus is what it would later be called. It goes without saying that 2020 was an extremely challenging year for everyone, especially those in the entertainment industry. From productions coming to a halt, lack of auditions and casting calls, and not knowing where your next paycheck will come from. As of March of 2021, there have been over 500,000 deaths from the virus in the United States alone and over 1 million globally. 

The entertainment industry is slowly gathering its bearings again. People have resorted to social media for making connections and landing jobs. Working from home is the new office and Zoom calls are the new job interview of choice. Castar is here to assist the entertainment industry to adapt to this new normal by networking and find jobs virtually. Castar is a tool for talent in the entertainment industry to find jobs and is dedicated to revolutionizing the way talent within the entertainment industry connect with opportunities, collaborate, and get discovered. We are focused on streamlining this process by building a community for diverse talent and becoming “The LinkedIn for the Entertainment Industry”. From finding jobs and hiring talent, to networking and having access to the necessary tools/resources, we strive for efficiency by offering an all-inclusive platform to help build successful careers at your fingertips. If you haven't done so already, download Castar on iOS to connect with diverse talent nationwide, submit to exciting opportunities and get discovered.

COVID IN KENTUCKY......PART I

 COVID IN KENTUCKY....PART I

February 7, 2020....I'm travelling pretty late, on my way to Hopkinsville, KY, which is about 40 miles outside of Nashville, TN. My loving cousin, Monica is gracious enough to let me stay with her. I had just packed up and moved from Southwest, Virginia. I took a leap of faith back in 2016 and resigned from my teaching position. I needed some change. Not knowing what in world would happen next, and at the suggestion of my father, I moved back to where it all began. I worked several odd jobs over a three year period and learned some amazing skills. I just had to let go and let god lead me on this journey.  

When I first moved back to Virginia, I took some time off from working and didnt end up being employed until 2017. I wasn't quite ready to hang up my teaching hat just yet. I took over an English position for a teacher who was about to have major surgery. This would be a temporary position with a full time salary so I was quite excited to get started. I definetely needed the money. This job ended up lasting from March to May of 2017. I made some new teacher friends, swapped fashion ideas and prayerfully, got to make a small impact in some 5th graders little lives. 

Soon after that short stint at Norton Elementary school as an English teacher, I had a pretty lengthy conversation through text with a dear friend of mine. She had just relocated herself so she understood the struggle. I told her that I no longer thought I wanted to teach. She said, based on my feelings that she didn't think that teaching was my calling and that I was placed in teaching to touch lives. 'You have to walk into your calling...' she said. and 'God is trying to take you higher, just trust him!' Such a powerful exchange of words that day. 

After feverishly looking for work after that teaching gig, I was hired to work at a very fruitful call center not too far away from my house. This was in September of 2017. I took the rest of 2017 to get some health issues straight and worked out consistently until I dropped 50+ pounds. Now both physically and mentally healthy, I was ready to take on the demands of a call center opportunity. This job helped me in so many ways, primarily, how to mentally prepare me for my future. It was a very tough and grueling job. I worked digitally on fixing customers' failing Quickbooks accounts. The days were long but I learned how to persevere. I left Sykes in November of 2018. That same month,  I took a nonprofit position as a Parent Aide helping at risk parents and children. I literally worked less that 25 hours a week. And in January of 2019, I was hired at H and R Block as an Office Manager. I worked up until April 2019 and little did I know, all of these previous jobs were preparing me for my destiny!!!

Cue the old saying, when we make our own plans...God laughs! 

To Be Continued...