Love of Sports Brought Thriver to WooSox

Meet the newest member of the WooSox Stadium Crew, Alexis Sokoloff. A Thrive participant for more than five years, Alexis just landed her dream job as an usher for the Worcester Red Sox, the professional minor league baseball team that just moved to the city. As an avid sports fan, this job is a perfect fit.

“I love all sports, and I especially love to follow the Boston teams – Celtics, Patriots, Red Sox, and Bruins,” Alexis excitedly shared. When she heard the WooSox were moving to town, Alexis jumped into action. With the help of her job coach, she applied, interviewed, and earned a coveted position with the team. As a stadium usher, Alexis guides people to their seats and answers visitors’ questions. “I love my job especially talking to and helping the fans,” she added.

This job is not Alexis’ first experience with a professional sports team. In the 2019-2020 hockey season, she interned for the Worcester Railers, a local minor league hockey team, where she worked with fans and assisted with the youth learn-to-skate program. The skills she learned through this experience, helped her to move-on to her current position. “At the Railers, I learned to feel comfortable interacting with people and how important it is to make eye contact – skills I use at my new job,” Alexis shared.

As a graduate of Thrive’s LEAD (Leadership Experience And Development) initiative, Alexis also learned these techniques years ago as a participant in the program. What began as a desire to meet new friends became an education in self-advocacy and confidence building. “The skills taught in LEAD are designed to carry over into all aspects of a graduate’s life. It’s always exciting to see the LEADers take what they’ve learned and use it in real-life situations. We are so proud of Alexis,” shared Caitlin Devaney-Fortwengler, LEAD Program Director.

Alexis is taking one day at a time, enjoying her new position, and looking forward to continuing work and exercising her independence. “I love my job, and I know I can do anything I put my mind to,” she confidently shared. Congratulations, Alexis – the WooSox are so lucky to have you!