Clara pulled a crumpled notebook from her backpack. Her small fingers smoothed the pages. “My mom, Angela Wilson, is the hardest worker I know. She wakes up at 5 a.m., works at the diner, then comes home to study finance textbooks. She doesn’t give up, even when she’s tired. She’s applied to Ellison four times already. And every time she cried when the rejection emails came. But she never stopped preparing.”
The room grew still. Clara’s voice shook, but she pressed on.
“She says this company values resilience and innovation. That’s why she wants to be here. She even helped local shop owners in our neighborhood figure out how to budget when business was slow. She didn’t charge them. She just wanted to help. Isn’t that what Ellison does too? Helping people find solutions?”
Margaret exchanged a look with Thomas. Richard leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.
“Clara,” he said gently, “what makes you believe your mother can do this job?”