Choosing Light and Love: Persistence, Resilience, and Grit during the Job Search
Sulay Thompson-Figueroa shares her experience connecting with her inner fire during her job search journey.
1000hires Candidate Spotlight is a series chronicling the experiences of unemployed job seekers during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
It is undeniable that COVID-19 changed all of our lives forever in ways we could never have expected or imagined. Thus far, each person’s journey has been uniquely challenging. Before I talk about me, I want to tell you that my heart goes out to each and every single person struggling out there. I want you to know that you are not alone and that if I can overcome the great tragedy that COVID-19 caused in my family, then I believe you have the strength in you too.
The year 2020 has challenged me in ways I never thought possible, but has also helped me understand my strength and who I am in a whole new light. This past April, I lost the person who I most love in this world to COVID-19, my soulmate and the strongest woman I have ever known, my 96 year old grandmother. I thought I had experienced the worst of it, and a month later, 2 uncles passed away. Then another month after that, my husband lost his grandfather, a Vietnam war veteran and a hero to our family in every way.
Everything that could have destroyed me suddenly was thrown at me all at once. At that moment I had two choices:
- become a victim to the pain and lose the woman I fought so hard to become (giving up 18 solid and consecutive years in Healthcare/Health Tech Operations and Management, more than 10 national certifications, and a Bachelor’s in Biology and Pre Med)
Or
- Allow myself to heal, stand up one more time and FIGHT. Fight like my life depended on it, fight to keep the legacy of love, kindness, strength, determination, and grit my loved ones left behind for me to live out and share with the world.
Some months later, I am happy to report I chose the latter. The road has been immensely difficult and painful, but here I am, more determined than ever to show myself, and every single person who ever believed in me, that it is not over for me, and that the rest of my life is just beginning. I consider it a blessing to have stumbled across 1000hires on LinkedIn, and the community has been my rock and safe place during the most difficult times of my life. I will forever be grateful to each compassionate, loving, kind, understanding professional I encountered.
I have lost count of the hundreds of applications I have applied to, the interviews I landed that I thought were the “one” (just to have my soul crushed and rejected without knowing why). But, I know that I have a purpose to fulfill and that completing my Master’s In Public Health was the right path for me. After dedicating half of my life to healthcare, I believe it takes bold and strong leaders to enact the changes necessary to serve our communities more effectively.
Now, more than ever, I realize that the tragedy in my life prepared me for my next opportunity. I know that if I can take the darkest circumstances in my life and make the best out of it, there won’t be an obstacle that I won’t be able to overcome with empathy, kindness, and care for others.
Being a leader in today’s world takes sensitivity and heart, which cannot be taught, mentored, or coached, but must come from within after trials and tribulation. Despite rejection after rejection, I am here ready to fight with every single skill, experience, and tool I’ve learned throughout my years of training. My heart and mind are committed to achieving my goal of joining a company in the Healthcare/Health Tech space that is pioneering changes so desperately needed in order to improve patient experiences and outcomes.
If you take away anything from reading my story, I hope that you realize that no matter how dark circumstances might be at this moment, no matter how much pain you are experiencing, it will make you a stronger person and professional. There is still hope, there is still faith, there is still kindness, and there is still love in the world, and it is all within YOU. Do not let temporary circumstances stop you from dreaming and achieving your goals. Yes it will be hard, but along the way you will meet complete strangers who will become family and will not allow you to give up on yourself. That is what 1000hires is for me. If I can do it, I promise you can too!
About the author
Sulay has approximately 18 years in the healthcare industry, working in a wide variety of roles including Clinical Medical Assistant, Licensed Phlebotomist, National Certified Pharmaceutical Representative, Medical Interpreter, Medical Biller, Laboratory Technician and more recently operations roles within the Healthcare/ Health Tech space. She holds a Bachelor’s in Biology and Pre-medicine with a minor in Chemistry and is currently wrapping up her Master’s in Public Health with emphasis in Health Administration.
Sulay has experience optimizing the operations and management of already existing healthcare and healthcare technology clinics and building start-ups from the ground up, specialized in increasing efficiency and effectiveness through the creation of inter-departmental initiatives,,training programs, protocols and procedures such as KPI’s, SOPS, training manuals, and rapport building of key stakeholders, through project management efforts. Sulay plans to continue contributing her skills, expertise, knowledge, and education to Healthcare/Healthcare Technology organizations that strive to positively impact the field through focus on improved patient outcomes and experiences. You can reach Sulay at sulay.thompson@gmail.com or www.linkedin.com/in/sulaythompson
About 1000hires
1000hires aims to get at least 1000 people impacted by COVID-19 layoffs back on their feet, using bite-sized interviews for recruiters and prospective employers to get a glimpse of their story. Check us out at 1000hires.com and follow us on LinkedIn for more information on how we’re helping jobseekers: Linkedin
