Morning settles over the parking lot at Sam’s Club in Independence. Carts click and clatter across the pavement. The air holds that in-between feeling, as if the season itself is deciding to move forward. Taten is already in motion.
He guides a row of carts toward the entrance, the automatic doors open, then close, then open again. A customer hesitates, unsure where to return theirs.
“Right over here,” he says, gesturing toward the correct area. It’s a small exchange, but it matters.
His story did not begin here. In 2023, while still in high school, Taten stepped into the Summer Work Experience program - his first structured introduction to the world of work. It was a starting point. A seed, pressed just beneath the surface.
After graduating in August 2024, he returned to continue. Through Employment Services, Taten entered the Discovery and Exploration phase, spending time in the community identifying what fit, what didn’t, and what could. Stores, conversations, possibilities. Slowly, a direction began to take shape.
By September, exploration gave way to action. Applications were sent and follow-ups were made. Days passed, then weeks. The kind of work no one sees - a persistence that builds like roots finding their hold.
Then, on November 18, 2024, the call came. Taten had been hired as a part-time cart attendant at Sam’s Club.
The first shifts brought everything new brings: new rhythms, unspoken expectations, the pressure to get it right. Alongside him was Employment Specialist Deborah Lenard, offering guidance in voice: how to ask questions, how to advocate, how to step forward when something wasn’t clear. Support was present. Then, gradually, it wasn’t needed in the same way.
By June 2025, Taten reached his 90-day milestone with minimal supports, consistent performance, and overwhelming positive feedback.
The work had become his. He learned the pace of busy hours, the quiet lulls, the constant movement. Managers came to rely on him. Customers recognized him.
Spring is often described as a season of balance - light and dark meeting in equal measure before the days begin to stretch. Taten’s journey reflects that same equilibrium. Preparation and opportunity. Support and independence. Effort and outcome.
Each played its part.
Now, as the days grow longer, so does his independence. What began as the question “What comes next?” has become something more certain. Not just a job, but a place within a team, within a routine, and within a community.
And his story offers a powerful reminder: meaningful employment is possible.
It can even begin with something small, like a first step, a first shift, or a single application sent. And sometimes, if given the chance to grow, it becomes something lasting.
