I asked the Sunrise Employees why they like working at Sunrise. It’s a tough job. What keeps them coming back? I’ll let their answers speak for themselves…
“I have been at Sunrise for almost 4 years now and my favorite part of the job is always when I hear from families months or even years after they have graduated from Sunrise. It is so fulfilling to see how well they are doing as they go off to college or get jobs and are just able to live a life worth living. I think back on where the student started and their struggles to even want to live, and it makes me so happy to know that I was a small part of that change that gave them a new chance at life. It really is what drives me to come to work every morning just knowing that my work is literally saving lives, and changing whole families.”
-Andrew, Office
Not only do I fully believe in Sunrise as a place that can help families heal, I’ve always felt valued as a person first, and as an employee second. I’ve never worked somewhere where I felt like I mattered, not for what I could do for the company but for who I am. I know that I can have bad days and there will be people that understand those struggles and support me in doing what I need to take care of myself first. We’re a company full of people doing hard jobs and I feel like that’s actually recognized at Sunrise and that’s why I love working here.
-Alicia, Office
“It’s funny when you get hired into a job thinking you are here to change the students, and in turn it completely changes you. “ This is the power of Sunrise and it exemplifies everything the student’s go through. When you think you can’t, you can. When you think life is too hard you realize you have much more in you than you ever imagined, and when you think you aren’t capable you have a whole team standing behind you to tell you, you’re more than capable. This is why I love Sunrise!!
-Samantha, Special Projects
I work at Sunrise because I see the change we are making. I love my team and I am so happy to be a part of something that will put good into the world.
-Tifany, Clinical
I love being able to build relationships with students and teach them how to come back from hard things. I started this job at 20 and had just switched my major from nursing to psychology and had no idea how much I didn’t know. I love that the students are teaching me just as much if not more as we are teaching them. You get to watch families heal generations worth of trauma and it is so awesome to watch them do it and know that you got to be there for them. I also love being in the position that I am because I also get to support new staff and help them learn and grow their flame of why they work here as well.
-Tori, Residential
I love it when I see parents starting to learn how to more effectively communicate, validate, and interact with their daughter. I had a dad who shared with me recently how excited he was after his social call – he learned to just listen and sit through the awkward silence, and by doing that his daughter opened up and shared more than she ever had with him. It’s magical!
-Amanda, Executive Director
I love the connections we get to make daily with the students, their families and each other. These relationships keep me coming back because I love seeing how the work we do brings families back together!
-Tiare, Residential
I love working at Sunrise because of the opportunities I get to see happiness and joy come back into a girls life and see her really starting to thrive as she finds out what her values truly are.
-Joseph, Residential
I love working at Sunrise because I get to witness change every day, foster relationships, and see the students and their families find joy in their lives again. Seeing the students find their worth and confidence and being okay with who they are and them realizing that their struggle doesn’t define them, is the reason why I choose to come back every day.
-Jessica, Residential
I love the opportunities to make a difference in the world, and help heal Generational Trauma. I enjoy seeing the families get out of each others way, and reconnect. I love how much you learn, and how to helps shape you into a better human being in the process. Go Sunrise!!!
-Ethan, Residential
I love working at sunrise because I love the connection I make with these girls. Not only do I think I help them, but they help me as well.
-Emily, Residential
I love working at Sunrise because it gives me a chance to actually see the changes students make. When a student comes in and sees no point in attending classes because they have no intention or graduating, or they think they can’t graduate, and then to see that shift as they become mentally healthy is so amazing to me!
– SuAnn, Academics
I like to brag that I’ve been at Sunrise for 12 ½ years. Some people might think I’m crazy for staying in this line of work for as long as I have. I stick around because of the people I get to work with. Not only my fellow employees, but also the students and their families. Are there people that I’ve worked with that have made me question why I’m still here? Absolutely. Those are the ones I want to find success for the most. It may sound cliché, the times where you get to see the “A ha!” moments whether it be while teaching math and students finally figuring out a concept or when a student realizes they want more for themselves or when a family figures out how to make things work together with healthy boundaries, healthy connection, and being able to communicate! Each moment takes you to the next. No day is ever the same. We have some incredible people that we get to know and rub shoulders with on a daily and I am so appreciative of the work that we do. It proves to me that relationships matter and someone believing in you and wanting you to grow and truly caring for you can make the world of difference in even one person’s life.
I could go on and on and there are many success stories worth sharing!
-Krista, Academics
