Mary May understands exactly what her clients at gener8tor are going through when they’re struggling to find career pathways. As a high school student, May was on track to graduate early and enroll in Mount Mary University in Milwaukee. But ongoing bullying finally took its toll, and to the dismay of her parents, May decided to quit school with just months left to go.
“I really was struggling with my mental health in a really large way … I thank God it was a time before social media, because I don’t think I would have survived it,” she says.
At 17, May was homeschooled instead, working on earning her GED. When an Army recruiter called her and suggested she could fast‑track her GED and have the chance to travel, May convinced her parents — who essentially had to sign custody over to the military — to let her go. “It all happened very fast,” she says.
That experience was one of many that lent her the wisdom and the skills to do the work she’s doing now. May is program manager and career coach for gener8tor Skills, a program that provides free workforce training and coaching to support unemployed and underemployed people throughout Wisconsin. May has worked with people who often have trouble finding employment, including those who have been out of the job market for a long time, are leaving incarceration, have criminal records or are recovering from addiction.
“These are individuals often overlooked by the traditional job market, but I see their potential, their resilience and their willingness to start again,” says May, who has held her role for about four years.
While serving in the military, where May served as a supply specialist, she developed a strong sense of compassion for veterans and the long‑term effects their sacrifices can have. May herself has a long‑term spinal injury from training. Her service inspired her to dedicate her career to helping veterans, their families and other underserved populations.
Following her time in the military, May enrolled at the former UW-Baraboo/Sauk County campus and helped establish a veterans club there to offer a sense of community for those who have served. May also was active with American Legion, VFW and The Mission Continues, a nonprofit that empowers veterans to serve again through community projects and leadership development.
May eventually landed an administration support role in the state of Oregon’s Department of Education, where she worked on the high school success team, supporting statewide initiatives to increase graduation rates and improve access to STEAM programs.
During this time, May met a woman who worked for the organization ASPIRE in Salem, Oregon, which needed volunteers to career‑coach teenagers. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is it. This is what I want to be doing. I want to be career‑coaching and counseling.’ And I loved working with teens.”
May continued working with teens at the teen center on a military base in Louisiana, at the same time pursuing a degree in sociology and human services. She found a place at gener8tor shortly after.
Growing up in the church with a minister father, May was instilled with a deep desire to give back, which is what led her to join the military as a teen. Talking with a career coach early on could’ve helped May, who says she might have been more suited to the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps.
“I had such a huge heart to serve, and I was just 17 years old trying to figure it out with not a lot of advisement,” May recalls. “So I reflect on those times in my life where, basically, I really needed a person like me, and that is why I do this work.”
* Photograph by Shane Van Boxtel / Image Studios
