Meet the Staff: Alex Gale

WHAT DREW YOU TO ORIGIN SC ORIGINALLY? AND HOW HAS THE ORGANIZATION CHANGED SINCE?

I was first drawn to Origin after seeing how important the work that we do is, particularly the Representative Payee program. My mother has worked for the company for a long time, and I have always been impressed by how hard everyone works for their clients. Since I haven’t been here that long, the company hasn’t changed much. However, I have been here for the rebranding from Family Services Inc to Origin SC and I cannot tell you enough times how great I think the rebranding has gone! I love our name, the new colors schemes, and our saying: Your Path to Home Starts Here!

What has surprised you the most about working at Origin SC?

What has surprised me the most about working at Origin is how much I have learned so quickly. Everyone that I have worked with is exceptionally knowledgeable about their programs and the services that we provide. I still feel like I learn something new every day! I was also surprised at how many of our services that we offer for free. Thanks to all of the grants and professional working relationships that we have developed over the year, we are able to provide very important services to those in need without them needing to pay a dime, such as our Victims of Domestic Abuse programs. 

What is an experience that has really shaped who you are? 

I would have to say the experience that has most shaped who I am was my time at Hampshire College. I was exposed to new ideas that I had never even thought about before. The diversity of the school really forces students to face what they don’t know, what they may not be comfortable with, and to have conversations with people that you might never have had otherwise. For instance, I became friends with two individuals at the school. The first, names Anas, was a 20 year old Palestinian man who had been shot by Israeli soldiers when he was 14 because he and his friends were throwing rocks at them. The other was Noah, a 22 year old Israeli man who spent 9 months in a Palestinian prison camp after getting captured during his mandatory military term. To my enormous surprise, these two were great friends! They helped establish a program at the school to bring together people from opposing viewpoints to share their themselves and their ideas, with the inevitable eventuality of realizing that we aren’t nearly as different from each other as we would sometimes like to think we are.

How has Origin SC helped you in your career development?

Origin has been invaluable to my career development in ways I never thought possible. The standards of practice and quality of our services, not to mention the wide range of services that we offer, continues to impress me as I learn more about the company. The experience that I have had so far, and specifically the opportunity to work with experienced and passionate professionals, has really inspired me to think bigger, work harder, and challenge myself to grow as an individual.

What is the one thing in this world you are most proud of?

I am most proud of the work I have done on the LIFT program. It has been an honor to assist our clients, individuals and families, to find a house to call home! Many of these clients are achieving homeownership for the first time, and many of them have been working up to this point for several years. It is a special kind of feeling when you hear the overwhelming joy in someone’s voice as they watch their dreams come to life before their very eyes. It is a humbling experience and I’m so glad to be able to be a part of it.