Chrysalis

Many people ask me what I do at my job, and my answer usually leads to describing more about the company than my actual job.

I work as a receptionist/secretary at a company called Chrysalis. The company is a state-funded provider for people with disabilities. We currently only have programs in Utah and Nevada. My office is in Cedar City. The people we provide services for are generally adults with mild retardation or acquired brain injury. Monday through Friday, those who do not have jobs come to the Day Program where they are supervised and learn job skills in hopes that these people can learn to live self-determined lives. Evenings and weekends, the people are supervised and learn skills for everyday life. These skills include personal hygiene, social skills, and money management.

As the secretary, I, along with the office manager, make the program run. We hire staff, make sure they are properly trained, file paperwork, data entry, and much more. Without the office staff (which now currently consists of two people), we would not be able to provide adequate support for the people we serve.

The people we serve in Cedar City are all male and make everyday a new experience at the office. Whether it be a conversation I have with them, or a piece of art they love to share with me. Also, rarely does a day pass when one of them doesn't ask me to be his girlfriend. They are awesome people and I enjoy being able to work with them.