On the fly and ready to express herself—and her gratitude for Way Finders’ Employment Support Services
Picture this: You’re on the highway, heading to the beach on a fine summer day. Your car is as packed with supplies as it is with passengers. And sounds! Music playing, kids buzzing with excitement. Then, rising above the hubbub, you hear the ringing of your phone. The caller? Unknown. How many people would take that call?
Yeimy Olivares of Springfield did. Seventy-two hours and two interviews later—after having applied to 100+ jobs over the previous year—she had landed herself an exciting new job with Behavioral Health Network (BHN). With an assist from Way Finders’ Employment Support Services, which welcomes referrals from the state’s Department of Transitional Assistance.
“I was driving to Rhode Island with my kids, my friend, and her kid. The call surprised me, I didn’t expect it! I’d filled out an application with BHN just the day before. I had to stop and pull over and everything. It was a little tough, but he understood,” said Olivares, of the interviewer she spoke with from BHN. “At the end of our call, he said he’d pass my info to the supervisor, and that she’d be in touch. But he literally called me back, like three minutes later, and asked me to come in person for an interview the next day.”
Olivares was ready to take these interviews—essentially on the fly—because of the time she’d spent preparing and practicing since late 2024 with job developers Ruben Arroyo and Wilmary Burgos during monthly touchpoints, workshops, and more. And because Way Finders assisted Olivares in paying for essential car repairs in June 2025, which would have hindered her ability to pursue employment opportunities.
“I felt comfortable, to be honest, because I was already talking with Wilmary all the time about interviews,” said Olivares, who also learned the importance of tailoring your resume and cover letter to each specific role you apply to. “I felt something positive for the first time in a while. I was excited.”
One specific interview barrier that Olivares and Burgos had worked together to counter: nerves.
“When I interview, I get very nervous, like right now as I’m talking to you,” said Olivares, who called Burgos early that next morning for support. “She sent me some questions I might expect. And reminded me to focus on just being myself. To just be me. And I got the job! I started in August as an after-care coordinator.”
In her full-time role with BHN’s Substance Use Recovery Program, located at the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow, Olivares helps improve the quality of life and health outcomes of individuals who are re-entering the community after being incarcerated. There’s a lot to learn, she confirms—including multiple computer systems to track medications and discharge planning—and the training has been intense.
“I was looking for something that challenged me, and I definitely got it!” said Olivares, who worked for nearly 10 years as a teaching assistant with the Springfield Public Schools but was looking for a higher paying job. “I feel great. I feel grateful to have met Wilmary, I appreciate her so much. Working with her was a blast. Which she knows, because I tell her all the time.”
“I am very proud of Yeimy for all her hard work and her persistence,” said Burgos, who heard from her contacts at BHN that they loved the way Olivares expressed herself during the interview process. “Her patience paid off, after receiving many rejection emails to job applications. I feel those did take a toll on her a little bit, but she does not give up! She doesn’t let setbacks stop her, and I admire that in her, it’s a very good quality that she has. I am so happy for her, she deserves this and more.”
When the rejection emails came, as they do for most job seekers at some point, Olivares would give herself a pep talk in the mirror. In her head, she heard Burgos’s voice.
“She’d always tell me, ‘Don’t feel bad, don’t take it personally. Something better is going to come,’” said Olivares, a single mother of two boys, of the encouragement she internalized.
“Yes, I’d say to take each ‘no’ as a learning experience, you’ve got to go through this in order for you to learn,” said Burgos. “And when you’re going to go to your next interview, I swear to you that you’re going to be more prepared. Right, Yeimy?”
And, right, she was! Congratulations to you, Yeimy!