An Illinois State alum is encouraging more students and recent graduates with disabilities to join a workforce recruitment program for the federal government.

Tiffany Jolliff ’11, who is blind, is now a program specialist in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) in Washington, D.C. The Bloomington native got her foot in the door at the Department of Labor thanks to an internship obtained through the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP).

In a recent post published on the Department of Labor’s blog, Jolliff recalled her meeting with a WRP representative on campus back in fall 2011, during a visit set up by Illinois State’s Disability Concerns office. That meeting led to an internship, then a job with a nonprofit in D.C., then her current position at ODEP.

“I took a huge leap during that October (2011) interview and never ever looked back,” wrote Jolliff, an economics alum who also graduated from University High School. “Today, my outlook on life is great, and I have the Workforce Recruitment Program to thank.”

Watch more of Jolliff’s story in the video above.

Contact STATEside’s editor at rmdenha@IllinoisState.edu.