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Employee Stories: At Southwest, Friends are Family

lstedman
Explorer C

At Southwest, we pride ourselves on our Family Culture. It’s not uncommon to hear stories of our Employees going out of their way to support each other—that’s something we love to do. Recently, HOU Customer Service Agent Evelyn Jimenes and her family experienced firsthand just how special her Southwest Cohearts are.   Evelyn’s daughter, ChrisAnn Solorzano, graduated with honors from Alief Elsik High School on June 7, but Evelyn, who is currently on military leave, was unable to attend her graduation. ChrisAnn graduated cum laude in the top 15 percent of her class of more than 1,000 students; she was also named a Texas Scholar.
Needless to say, her mother wished she could be there for her daughter. This is when Team HOU stepped in and showed what Family is all about at Southwest.
Several of Evelyn’s Coworkers (including CSA Clevette Simms, CSA Cecilia Vega, CSA Suzanne Hollandsworth, and Manager of Customer Service Cherrilyn Brooks) surprised ChrisAnn by attending her graduation in her mother’s absence, along with Evelyn’s parents and husband. They even made her a graduation gift—a candy bouquet—to congratulate and celebrate ChrisAnn on her big day.
“It was a very memorable event for ChrisAnn, as well as for my Coworkers and me,” Suzanne said.
Their attendance at ChrisAnn’s graduation was also a surprise to Evelyn, who said she was speechless and honored by the gesture. “I’ve always told her (ChrisAnn) about how lucky we are to be a part of a Company that takes care of its Employees,” Evelyn said. “Now she has experienced it for herself.” Not only did Clevette, Suzanne, Cecilia, and Cherrilyn show their support for ChrisAnn at her graduation, but they are also working to collect money from Team HOU to help ChrisAnn with her college and dorm supplies for the upcoming years she’ll spend at Stephen F. Austin State University.   Evelyn sure does have some amazing Coworkers and friends at Southwest, and she’s very grateful for what they’ve done to support her daughter’s educational journey. “How blessed we are to have all this LUV and support!” Evelyn said.