Life after a coma: Returning to consciousness after a month battling a staph infection, Brianna Williamson found herself having to relearn how to walk and talk at age 25. And even after her long recovery, she struggled to find a job. In 2019, she would take a position as a part-time package handler at UPS, where she connected with training and tuition support that would help her reach her full potential at work.
Back to work, back to class: Soon, Brianna was inspired to go back to school for a degree in industrial technology, with support from the company.
"It wasn’t until UPS that I had a desire to go and get my degree,” Brianna said. “They were willing to pay for my education, and they were willing to give me a chance to learn. I want to go because of how much the company has put into me, and I want to give that back in a way."
Scholarship support from UPS: Brianna took advantage of UPS’s Earn and Learn tuition assistance program, which offers employees up to $5,250 per year to help with college expenses, with no course restrictions. Since 1999, more than 140,000 UPSers have used Earn & Learn.
While excelling in her new college career, Brianna has also moved up quickly at UPS, and her promotions have been racking up: from part-time union to part-time supervisor to training supervisor and ultimately becoming a Cornerstone Trainer.
“UPS saved my life by giving me an opportunity to be better,” Brianna said. “They gave me the confidence to be who I am and to reach for more. UPS gave me a new purpose in life.”
Did you know: UPS has one of the strongest and longest-standing promote-from-within cultures of any company in America. In 2022, more than 10,000 part-time employees advanced to full-time roles in the company. And UPS's management ranks include more than 18,000 employees who were promoted into management from union positions.
Read more stories like this in the UPS Jobs and Opportunity Report.