A Decade of New Directions

“I always tell my clients that they were supposed to meet me. I was supposed to be your coach.”

This is how Sonya begins her first meeting with every new client on her case load. And as a job coach for Maryland New Directions, a non-profit organization providing no-cost employment coaching and specialized career training to people in and around Baltimore City, Sonya meets her clients at all stages of their lives. Some are re-entering the workforce after a prison sentence. Some are survivors of domestic abuse wanting to regain their independence. Others hold PhDs and have had accomplished careers, but are looking for a new path. The one common thread that ties Sonya’s clients together? They want a better life, and to get there they need a new job.

Regardless of their circumstances, Sonya can relate to this desire in her clients, because she experienced it herself. Ten years ago, she was 17 years into a career in retail management. She earned a decent income, had successfully raised her daughter, and owned her own home. But she was tired of the work schedule required in the retail world and was ready to transition to a career that would feel more rewarding. But with no high school diploma and a lack of computer skills, she felt her options were limited. Then in 2010, Sonya attended a job fair that would change the rest of her life.

There, she met Stephen Thomas, who is now lead instructor at Maryland New Directions (MND). He handed her his business card and encouraged her to check out their programs.

“It was maybe a month later that I was standing in my bedroom and something said to my spirit, ‘call Steve Thomas.’ That was in August 2010,” says Sonya. “Steve told me what Maryland New Directions did, and he said, ‘if you’re unemployed, why don’t you join our training?’ I had nothing to lose, I was getting my unemployment benefits, so I started the training.”

Over the next few weeks, Sonya would complete a free two-week training course at MND, be placed in a new part-time job, and be invited by MND’s executive director to assume an internship with the organization. She performed so well, the internship was extended for a second term. While interning, Sonya was matched with an accredited online course – paid for by MND – that prepared her to pass her GED exam in 2011. She then became the first former MND client to be hired as a full-time job coach.

“When I got to MND, I was at the point where I was tired of working all the time, on the weekends, the late-night calls, the emergencies, and being responsible for another person’s business,” she says. “I had been praying to the Lord that I was ready for a transition. And since joining MND, human services and Sonya are almost like Jello – we jiggle! This is not a job for me, it’s a lifestyle.”

Ten years later, Sonya has worked with hundreds of men and women in Baltimore City to help them discover their next career path. Each month, she performs intakes with new clients to discuss their goals, their barriers, and guide them in the next steps of their journeys. She matches clients with MND’s three career training programs, reviews resumes and cover letters, holds mock interviews, leads workshops, and speaks with potential employers. As needed, she helps clients apply for unemployment benefits, finds childcare, arranges transportation, provides bus tokens, even buys shoes – anything her clients need to successfully complete their training and arrive at their interviews prepared. As COVID left more and more people out of work, Sonya’s dedication never wavered. Unable to meet with clients in person, she did intakes from her car outside her clients’ homes, held meetings via phone and FaceTime, and led workshops online. 

Sonya has continued her own professional development as well. She is now a certified case manager, a certified offender workforce development specialist, a grief instructor, a certified youth and young adult career development facilitator, has taken courses in mental health, and more. She has a goal to earn a new credential or certification every year – anything to help her better serve her clients.

It’s because of this commitment that Sonya recently reached her newest career milestone – being promoted to MND service coordinator. In this new role, she will continue to coach clients, but will also work with all new job coaches, training them on the organization’s policies and procedures, and helping to ensure the coaching team reaches its goals. 

“I could be working anywhere in the world, doing anything, but for me, God has placed me here,” she says. “This isn’t just a job, it’s a ministry. I’m supposed to pour into people; motivate, encourage, and inspire them, wherever they might be when I meet them. Everything I do is about more than helping someone find a job – it’s helping them have a better quality of life. I love the feeling of someone saying ‘Miss Sonya, I got the job!’ – it’s the best feeling in the world.”