Devenie's Discovery in Real Time

Devenie Travis has been with Employment Services at Easterseals Midwest for almost 10 years now. From the very beginning, she knew exactly what she wanted: more independence. A place she could call her own. A life that was ultimately one hundred percent hers.

At first, that confidence wasn't super apparent.

When she started working at Little Caesars, she began in food prep. Her hands kept busy, but her voice remained absent. The front of the store and its constant influx of customers and rapid-fire questions felt like a fleeting reality.

"I used to be shy," she says. "I didn't talk to people. I didn't want to work in the front."

But the growth you once thought impossible always has a way of showing up when you're ready for it.

A steady stream of support and growing sense of responsibility gave Devenie opportunities to practice. She learned the register. She watched, tried. One shift after another, hesitation was being thrown out the window. And eventually, she took a leap - taking orders, handling money, and speaking with customers face to face.

Now, the thing that once felt foreign is incredibly familiar.

Working at Little Caesars helped Devenie build more essential job skills. It strengthened who she was. She became more social, more confident, more financially responsible. She learned to advocate for herself; to say what she wants, to name what she's good at, to trust her innate instincts.

"I grew out of that," she says of her shyness. "I'm kind. I'm understanding. I've got a good personality."

Now, Devenie moves through her days with newfound reassurance. What was once intimidating is now regular. Normal. Her story is more than one single role or one single moment, but about the shift from holding yourself back to closing your eyes and taking the step.

And that confidence? It's carrying her exactly where she needs to go.