A Powerful Story of Connection to Coaches

My name is Kory and I have been a part of Just in Time for two and a half years. For a lot of my life, I have struggled to find positive role models to look up to and spend time with. It wasn’t until I joined JIT that I started making connections with new people and maintaining them.  

When I lived in Pittsburgh, a lot of the people in my life were temporary and left me in the dust when it came to making adult decisions (applying for FAFSA, applying to college, debating on whether to drop out and work for a bit or stay in school, what kind of car should I get). Because of this, I became hyper independent and didn’t have a lot of people in my life that I could get advice from. 

Because of this, I became hyper independent and didn’t have a lot of people in my life that I could get advice from. 

My first JIT coach was with Financial Fitness 101 and his name was Jonathan. He was a med school student at UCSD, and he was the first person that allowed me to open up about my struggles with finances. I had maxed out my credit cards to put a down payment on my current car and we worked together to devise a plan to get out of the debt. His advice and guidance allowed me to go from 6 maxed cards ($5,500) to no maxed cards and a balance of $2,000 on two cards. I was able to go to EDC (the second biggest rave in the world) without putting a penny onto my credit cards and it felt so amazing to have budgeted and be living within my means. 

When I started Pathways to Financial Power, I was paired with a coach named Ron. I remember him being late to the session and we laughed about it when we were getting to know each other. Ron ended up being one of the most consistent coaches I’ve met since I joined JIT, and I am forever grateful for the time we spend together. He has shown me so many different restaurants in San Diego and different parks. We have gone hiking, and we have this cool picture with his dog while on the trail. I appreciated being welcomed into his home. I just showed him my apartment a for the first time a few weeks ago. It felt great to show him around my home and show him the hard work I have put into the decor I have in it. We ate at Shake Shack and it was Ron’s first time having it so it also felt nice to share something I love with someone else. 

When I went back to college in Fall 2023, I started JIT’s College Bound service and I was paired with Howard. One of the core memories I have from him is that when I was homeless for two weeks, he took me out to lunch and bought me groceries because he knew I was struggling a lot during that time. I was still working and going to school while also keeping up with the commitments I had, and that small act of gratitude meant the world to me. He bought me this bag of candy that was $5 since it was right after Halloween, and I remember eating that whole bag over the course of a few days because I was so sad. 

My relationship with my parents has been askew for as long as I could remember. My dad is serving a life sentence in prison for murdering a toddler and my mom is a bit more distant with me since I moved to San Diego. These relationships with my coaches and the staff at JIT mean so much to me. The small acts of kindness matter more to me than a coach taking me out to dinner. Especially because I have had a lot of relationships and friendships abandon me at some of the lowest points in my life. 

My advice to you as new coaches is to take things slow and match the energy/vibe of the participant you are paired with. Some participants are more reserved and are intimidated by a lot of communication, some don’t have vehicles to be able to meet up, some are parents, and some may just take some time to get to know. 

Another piece of advice would be to show them around San Diego. Some people may not have the time to enjoy the great city they live in, and for me, I am not from here so I appreciate being shown different parks to go to, cool restaurants, and different experiences throughout San Diego. Again, the small things matter to a lot of us and that is probably one of the most important things to remember when you are building a connection with a participant. Thank You.