A Mary Esther resident and employee at Eglin Air Force Base recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with lawmakers about employment opportunities for people with disabilities. According to a press release, Theresa Wohlfarth attended the SourceAmerica Grassroots Advocacy Conference as a representative for her employer, Global Connections to Employment (GCE).
Wohlfarth, who GCE named its “Team Member of the Year,” shared her personal career path with congressional leaders and their staff. She stated that her goal was to provide a firsthand account of how employment can lead to career growth. “I got to tell my story, how I became a mail clerk and worked my way up to a project manager,” Wohlfarth said in the release. “I told them how I didn’t let my disability hold me back.”
The organization reported that Wohlfarth began her career as a mail clerk at Eglin in 2012 and now serves as a project manager for the installation’s Official Mail Center. During her meetings on Capitol Hill, GCE said Wohlfarth also spoke about the work her colleagues perform at military installations and federal agencies.
Accompanied by a GCE senior director, Wohlfarth said she advocated not only for herself but for others. “I not only told my story, but I also spoke for others,” she was quoted as saying. “I talked about my employees here. I talked about the dining facility, the IT people and everybody.”
