From day one, Laura Hernandez was a top performer and valued team member at UPS. But nearly two decades ago, life made her question everything – including her career path forward.
The day everything changed: Laura was a hard-working part-time package handler. She was diligent and loved her job … But out of the blue, she submitted her two-week notice.
What her team didn’t know was that Laura’s life had recently been turned upside down.
Laura’s husband had been tragically killed by a drunk driver. Emotionally devastated, she struggled in the months that followed. Under seemingly insurmountable financial pressures, Laura and her children lost their home within the year and found themselves living out of her van.
“I didn’t want to leave UPS,” Laura said, reflecting about the time. “But I didn’t think I could afford to stay.”
Unaware of her circumstances, UPS human resources manager Michael Ciavarella wanted to understand why one of UPS’s best had decided to leave. After Laura explained her situation, he asked one simple question – what else can you do?
“My job is to take care of my people,” Michael said. “If we just take the time to get to know our people, who’s that next bright star out there you get to help guide?”
With Laura’s previous experience as a maintenance mechanic for a food factory, Michael immediately got to work finding her a full-time position at UPS using those same skills. That determination to help ended up changing her life.
Hope through dark times: “It was a feeling of hope that made me think there was actually a chance for us to get back on our feet,” Laura said. “My UPS family would not let me go without a fight, and for that I will always be grateful.”
Laura’s role as a journeyman mechanic helped her put her life back together, and much more. She’s been able to purchase a home in an affluent neighborhood, put her kids through school and build a trust.
A rewarding 20-year career has bloomed in the wake of terrible adversity. And Laura wasn’t the only one to join UPS – three of her children have worked for the company over the years.
“I am so proud of myself for what I’ve accomplished … but I never would have done it without my UPS family. In the darkest moment of my life, when I had given up all hope in life and humanity, my UPS family pulled me from the abyss,” Laura said.
“They never gave up on me and kept pushing me forward. They gave me and my children our life back.”