Noor Bergman currently serves as the association's recruiter. She shares her "Why the Y" story below.
When I think about the YMCA the word impact comes to mind. Throughout different seasons of my life, the Y has impacted me more than I initially realized. Three major instances come to mind.
The earliest memory I have of the Y having an impact on me was when I first learned how to swim. I don’t remember much but I do remember my first day and last day of swim lessons. I remember looking down into the water trying to figure out if the water would be my friend or enemy by the end of it. Fast forward to my last lesson and my dad had to threaten no dessert to get me out of the pool. Fast forward to high school and I found my home on the swim team. Nowadays my favorite way to exercise is swimming laps at either Morgan or Tacoma Center. The love I have for water has always been inside me but I’d like to think the Y instilled the confidence I needed to learn that.
The next impact that comes to mind is when I began working as a Member Services Representative while in college. I remember feeling like I finally landed my first adult job. Up until that point, I had worked retail and food service jobs and never really felt fulfilled. Don’t get me wrong - I took a lot of pride in folding shirts even if it meant it took five tries to get it perfect but I never really felt like I was reaching even part of my potential. After a couple of months of learning the role and finding my groove, I started to see the little changes within myself. Slowly I began to find my voice. I always was soft-spoken and petrified at the thought of approaching others. While in school I remember the stomach ache I would have for a week straight leading up to the speech I knew I inevitably had to give in English class. When working as an MSR I was forced to navigate all the things that made me uncomfortable. Very quickly I learned how to handle people. I remember my dad saying, “as long as you can learn how to get along with people, you will always be successful”. I’ll never let him know he’s right, but he absolutely was! I realized that if I could just push myself a little past my comfort zone I could really learn a lot in my role. I quickly became the person who approached members just to ask about their day and knew all members on first-name bases. By the end of my time as an MSR, I ended up being the individual who helped members who needed to be “killed with kindness” and the go-to person to provide a tour of the facility. When I started this position I was the girl who was afraid of people and when I left I knew that whatever I did moving forward, all I wanted to do was help others.
Now fast forward five years and one pandemic later I find myself being impacted by the YMCA yet again. After successfully working through the pandemic, my employer of three years fired me out of the blue. I found myself jobless and had no idea what my next move was going to be. I knew only two things for certain - I wanted to continue with a job serving others and I wanted a change of scenery. I had never lived anywhere else but Olympia. When I took to job hunting I focused my efforts on Tacoma. It seemed like a great fit. My brother had already lived in Tacoma for a couple of years and talked about all the great food Tacoma had to offer and I was still close enough to my parents to visit often. And so my job search began. After many hours of job hunting and submitting applications, I saw a job posting for the YMCA as a Recruiter. The idea of having the opportunity to work for the Y again left me buzzing with excitement.
After four long days, I heard back from Nicole and my interview was scheduled. Spoiler alert - I got the job! For six months, I commuted back and forth between Olympia and Tacoma until my lease was up. After what felt like forever, July came around and it was finally moving time. After settling in and unpacking in my new apartment I felt a huge wave of thankfulness wash over me. I was able to look at all I had accomplished in such a short amount of time. If it wasn’t for the opportunity the Y gave me I’m not sure I would have had the guts to make the change myself. The best way I could explain it is that the Y gave me back the confidence I lost when I was fired. I remember thinking that losing my job was going to be a major setback for me and my plans but it ended up being the biggest blessing in disguise. But somehow I got everything I had hoped for - the chance to explore a new city, a position that I could learn and grow from, and an amazing group of individuals to work alongside.
So when Charlie asked me to share my thoughts on why I love the work of the Y, my answer was instantaneous. I love the work of the Y because not only do I still feel the impact the Y has had on me personally, but I am also able to feel the impact I make on others and my community every day. In a way, I feel like I now have the opportunity to instill the confidence in others that I once lacked. Whether it’s helping someone find their first ever job or the next position to further their career path, I am just happy to help them get there whether the impact is small or big.