Meet Nicole

“One of the best feelings in a long time occurred after dropping Nicole off at Winters Bros. for her shift. Approximately two hours later Nicole sent me a text; ‘Hey Dad I’m at work hope you’re having a nice day’.” Elated, Peter went on to say, “There’s nothing better than that!”
- Peter, Nicole’s dad, July 2021 (three months after Nicole’s started the program).
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In April of 2021, Nicole’s dad reached out to the Winters Center for Autism in search of an environment that would give his daughter the opportunity to receive a work training experience in an inclusive, productive environment outside of their home. Although Nicole had been active in many programs when she was in high school, things were far less accessible to her after graduation. After graduating high school with few options, even more narrowed by the pandemic, Nicole’s parents felt the WCFA seemed like a match for Nicole. After meeting with Nicole, and her dad, the team at the center felt it was evident that Nicole’s  training would best be suited at Winters Bros. Waste Systems of Long Island.

On Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 9am the atmosphere in Winters Bros. gets a little brighter upon Nicole’s arrival. Her beautiful smile and sweet demeanor radiate the lobby the second she crosses the threshold. What usually follows next is an exchange anyone would have with their coworkers when they arrive for a new day at work. For Nicole it begins with greeting Arlene at the front desk, and a brief conversation about their respective mornings. From there Nicole goes to her desk, checks her schedule, and begins the day. 

Nicole has a variety of responsibilities at Winters Bros., and many coworkers that she enjoys engaging with throughout the morning. When she is working at her desk on a task for Marco in HR she is working alongside Raymond. When Nicole waters plants in finance it is Stephanie that welcomes her every Thursday as Nicole waters plants of all varieties, shapes, and sizes. Having worked on this task since May, she has developed quite a green thumb! This multifaceted young woman also helps ensure the safety for those that visit the Winters Bros Gym when she cleans and sanitizes the equipment in the gym, while also stocking and taking inventory on the cleaning materials and water bottles housed at the facility.

​In a short amount of time Nicole has made her mark on the company. Sara from Human Resources communicated the impact Nicole has made at Winter Bros., “Nicole has been a huge help to Human Resources. Without her keeping our files up to date, we wouldn’t be able to carry out our HR processes. Nicole is a great part of our department!”  Nicole feels equally happy with her experience at Winters Brothers. Working at Winters Bros. makes her feel, “Proud because I feel like I’m doing something good for the community.”  When asked what was her favorite part about being at Winters Bros. her response is typical of anyone her age, “Hanging out with my friends!”

Nicole’s family has conveyed their happiness with the program and the positive impact of Nicole’s training experience on their family. “We are extremely grateful for the support and opportunity provided to Nicole by Winters Bros. She is able to join in family conversations on what we did that day and always has positive experiences to relate.”

The cumulative sum to all these parts; the coworkers, the tasks, and the experience of training at an organization that embraces neurodiversity, is the very reason Nicole was inclined to send her dad the text she crafted. Like anyone else her age she was just a young adult, checking in with a parent, wishing them well, from WORK!

If you are a caring community business that understands the significance of the text message Nicole sent to her dad, we ask you to join our mission to “Hire for a Higher Purpose”. In doing so we will grow closer to increasing the employment rate for adults with Autism. We thank Winters Bros. Waste Systems for their support and offer any business on Long Island the opportunity to work with us by contacting the center at 631-635-1169.