After She Kept Getting Rejected From Jobs, This Woman Started Her Own Bakery And It’s Awesome
When you get rejected from a job, it’s easy to get discouraged and maybe even give up. Especially if it just keeps happening. But Collette Divitto didn’t. Collette has Down Syndrome and told Upworthy that her passion for baking led her to apply for a bunch of jobs upon graduation from college — but none worked out.
“Many people who interviewed me for jobs said I was really nice but not a good fit for them. It was really hurtful and I felt rejected a lot.”
So Collette decided to take things into her own hands and start her own business called Collettey’s Cookies. With her own company, Collette was able “to show everyone how capable people with (dis) abilities are”. And she also set a mission “to open production facilities across the country and employ thousands of different abilities”. So cool!
Collette not only wanted to create a job for herself but also has the goal of helping others with disabilities who often can’t find work.
“My biggest success so far is how big my company is growing, which means I can start hiring people with and without disabilities.”
And why is this so important? People with disabilities have a higher rate of unemployment. According to Colette’s Cookies, “17.5% of the population of people with disabilities were employed in 2015”. So Collette is not only making great strides for her own company, but for greater opportunities for others who also have disabilities.
Collette was featured in local news and her business quickly grew. Learn more about Collette’s story here:
Thank you, Collette, for bravely taking a risk in order to make the world a better place — one yummy cookie at a time. Check out Collettey’s Cookies to see how you can support Collette and her business.
