Meet Sagna Lynch
When Sanga Lynch stumbled across an ad promoting a Social Development Commission training class, he saw it as a sign from above. Lynch ignored an earlier flier but when the same message appeared again in his Facebook feed, he paused. Coincidence? Lynch didn’t think so.
“I registered for the class,” Lynch remembers. “I said this is my opportunity.”
The class was part of a training program the Social Development Commission (SDC) developed for Boelter in partnership with Manpower. Boelter is a local company that provides a diverse array of services to the restaurant supply, hospitality and beverage industries. At the end of SDC’s program, graduates are guaranteed jobs with Boelter.
“I said on paper, I probably can’t win, Lynch recalls. “They do background checks. Others aren’t going through what I’m going through in life. I haven’t worked in close to 15 years.”
Nervous but determined to find a job, Lynch stepped out on faith.
“I said if I get in front of somebody, I got it,” says Lynch. “I’m going to send me. All the stars are aligning right now. It’s my day.”
And it was.
Lynch beat out close to 100 job applicants to secure one of 10 seats in SDC’s competitive training class. For six weeks, he developed leadership, time management and communication skills. In addition to instruction, Lynch was mentored by various members of SDC’s management team. When the class was over, Lynch started a job as a lead line operator at Boelter’s warehouse.
“I spoke it into existence and now I’m going for it. When I got there, I applied myself,” says Lynch. I used the skills that I was taught in the SDC classroom and the skills I learned in life.”
It didn’t take Lynch long to stand out from the crowd. Within a couple of weeks, Lynch went from the end of the assembly line to the front of the assembly line where he set the pace for the rest of the team. Managers fought to get Lynch placed in their departments.
“I want to do more. I’m showing my dedication not just to the company but to myself,” Lynch says. I’m not doing this to get a check. I’m doing this to get a career.”
After less than a month on the job, Lynch has already been promoted. He’s off the assembly line and working in an office where he manages paperwork needed to process Boelter’s orders.
For Lynch who ultimately wants to pursue a career in graphic design, it’s just the beginning.
“If this is my stepping stone that I have to use to get work experience, then I’m going to utilize everything I’ve got, Lynch says. “ If they take a chance on me, I’m going to show them that it was well worth it.”
