Happy Veterans Day!
To celebrate this year, we are highlighting one of our own Goodwill veterans, Annie Upshaw.
Annie is the corporate compliance specialist for Goodwill West Texas and works in the Abilene administrative office, but before she joined Goodwill, she served in the U.S. Air Force.
Annie said she joined the U.S. Air Force to make her place in the world in a meaningful way. She served for seven years in Altus, Okla., before spending her last three years of service at Abilene’s Dyess Air Force Base.
During her time in the Air Force Annie worked in material management. She described her role as being, “like the UPS of the Air Force.”
When Annie left the service, she said she ended up at Goodwill by chance. Initially, Annie was hesitant to apply to Goodwill, unsure if it was the right fit for her. With her husband’s encouragement, she applied and then experienced “one of the best job interviews” she ever had.
Annie said working at Goodwill has been the best chance that was ever given to her.
As Goodwill’s corporate compliance specialist, Annie said she has been able to use many of the lessons she was taught during her time in the Air Force. One of the most important things she said she learned throughout her 10 years in the Air Force was patience.
“Patience with the team itself and patience with yourself,” she explained.
Annie’s Air Force experience also taught her the power of teamwork. Working in the Air Force was like being part of a family, she said. Everyone there had her back, and she had theirs.
“The only other place I found like that is Goodwill,” Annie said. She described how great it has been to find a team that feels like a family, just like she had in the Air Force. She knows that at Goodwill, “Everyone really wants to look out for everyone else!"
Thank you for your service and all the hard work you do for Team Goodwill, Annie!