The typical student at The Excel Center® – Goodwill’s high school for adult learners – is between 18-24 years old, but returning to school at the age of 47 isn’t the only characteristic that separates Brenda Leake from most of her classmates.

Although a teenager at the time, when Dominique Daye learned she was pregnant, her priorities became her son and planning for their future. She didn't have a car or a stable living environment, so she moved from Indianapolis to O'Connor House, a home for single mothers and their children located in Carmel, where she stayed for more than 18 months until she could secure a place of her own.

Goodwill Young Leaders is comprised of professionals with diverse backgrounds and experiences who support and promote Goodwill's mission services in central and southern Indiana. They receive in depth tours of Goodwill behind the scenes and learn what Goodwill does and why it is so much more than a Goodwill Store. One of our newest Young Leaders is Gita Turnbull. We took a moment to ask her a little about her experience so far.

Lorena Salas, Goodwill’s 2003 Achiever of the Year, is a valued associate who has consistently demonstrated excellence during her 17-year career with us. Despite living with blindness and cerebral palsy, Lorena has continued to persist and thrive.