Olga Stepanenko, resident of Redondo Beach and college graduate with a background in international journalism and communications, had been on leave from her prior position at American Ring Travel since April 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic. The tourism and hospitality sectors were particularly heavily impacted, and there was essentially no work to be had at the time. A career advisor from the Torrance One-Stop contacted Olga immediately after she filed for unemployment benefits in March 2021 to help her improve her resume. Soon after, she began getting email alerts about employment prospects in the South Bay region.

As part of her career advancement plan, Olga also regularly received information about professional networking and recruiting opportunities in her community. In March 2022, she finished the WIOA-funded Online Marketing Certified Associate (OMCA) Social Media certificate program at LMU Extension. She acquired new abilities in online social media marketing. Olga was able to get a fantastic new job after obtaining those credentials thanks to a referral from her counselor, and she began working as the operations manager for an organization that provides event and meeting planning services on August 1st, 2022.