Before I start my story, I must thank God, who is the one that I look up to the most. He has always been there for me, and who gives me the strength to be the person that I am today. He has truly changed my life and is the reason why I am proud to share my story. Anybody that has met me recently, would describe me as an outgoing friendly woman that would speak her mind, and tells you exactly what she wants, but that was not always true. I was born in January 1980 in Wilmington Delaware and adopted at 10 months into what everybody would believe, was a loving family. Everything would change at the age of 8 when my Father died. My Mom became abusive and our relationship went downhill. I moved out at 16 years old, dropped out of school and had my first child. I started working for the radio station Kiss 101.7 in Wilmington and at the age of 23 I entered, what I didn’t know it was going to be, an abusive relationship.
After 10 years and two more kids, I decided that I couldn’t do it anymore and moved into a homeless shelter in Florida with my children and everything that I could carry on my back and in my arms. Once there, I took the time out to think about what direction I wanted my life to go. I went back and completed High School Education. I completed Dale Carnegie training and went on to become an assistant in the Dale Carnegie Training Program. I also spent time working on myself. I moved into my own home and I landed a job at Headstart. I traveled and told my story to women in relationship abuse seminars. I was using what I went through to help others, the best way I knew how.
After 7 years of being in the sunshine state, I decided to move back North. I moved to Hackensack, New Jersey and went back to work at an Applebee’s. I was with Applebee’s for 10 years, off-and-on, even had the chance to compete in some bartending competitions. Applebee’s was like home. At the end of 2016, the opportunity came along for me to move back to Dover, DE and I took it. To keep my employment at Applebee’s, I was driving back and forth to Hackensack every day, 5 days a week, 7 hours behind the wheel every day. I knew it was time for a change. That’s when I took another chance and I put in an application for H5H. Two days later, Rob Ford set me up for an interview. His energy was contagious and made me want to join his team. I immediately got a second interview that day. I was nervous but my coworker, Anthony Whitlow, came over and told me I had nothing to worry about while dancing all over the dining room. I got the job that day and two weeks later I started my Incredible Journey with H5H.
In the year that I have been with H5H, I feel like I gained an amazing family. I started as a server, became a WCT trainer and a bartender and most recently a shift leader. I feel like it’s important for me to keep growing and perform at such a high level because I was given a blessing and now I want to help others succeed and give them opportunities to reach their goals. It is not about me anymore, it is about becoming the best parent that I can be for my 21-year-old daughter, my 11-year-old autistic son and my eight-year-old daughter. It’s also about me becoming a better manager each shift and becoming more educated, so that one day I can become an owner.
In conclusion I want to leave you with this:
- Motivate people
- Set goals
- Show passion and enthusiasm
- Have a plan
- Activate your plan
- Stay positive
- Live life
- Love hard and NEVER give up
-Victoria Paskins
What’s your Story?
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