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Not long after embarking on a career at Chick-fil-A, Amy Molina enrolled as a nursing student at Victoria College. Both entities remain a significant part of her life.

All three of her children, Destiny (23), Faith (20) and Isaiah (18), now work at Chick-fil-A in Victoria, while Molina will graduate from VC with an Associate of Applied Science in business management on May 11.

   

“I always wanted to prove to my children that no matter how old you are, you can always go back to college,” she said. “I started college in my late 20s. It’s an amazing feeling to know I am finally going to accomplish earning a degree.”

As a single mother working 60-plus hours per week, Molina has taken one class at a time while keeping an eye on her goal. Chick-fil-A also helped pay for her college tuition.

Along the way, she has earned Office Support Staff (May 2021), Business Relationship (Dec. 2021) and Accounting Technician (Dec. 2022) Occupational Skills Awards, along with an Office Management Certificate (Dec. 2021).

“When I first enrolled at VC, I was doing the prerequisites for nursing,” she said. “I thought that was the field I wanted to go into. Upon working at Chick-fil-A, I grasped the business perspective better. I gravitated that way naturally.”

Molina, who is from Edna, is now the Vice President of Operations for Chick-fil-A Victoria and a certified trainer for the Chick-fil-A Corporation for local operator David Murphy. As part of her role, she travels across the country to help open new locations.

“I did an opening in New York City at Grand Central Station for two weeks,” she said. “That was probably one of my favorites because it was the winter and snowing. I’ve also been to California a few times and Las Vegas.

“It’s very nice to go out and meet individuals like me who are dedicated to Chick-fil-A, who are also single parents or working their way through school. That’s the end goal for them, too.”

Murphy became the operator of a third Victoria Chick-fil-A location recently, which is a rarity in that corporation. He credits employees like Molina for helping facilitate the accomplishment. They have worked together since she started.

“Amy is one of the hardest working and most dedicated individuals I have ever known, both for her family and for her career,” he said. “I have witnessed her grow and mature not only as a leader, but also as a mother during her more than 15-year tenure with Chick-fil-A Victoria. My life and business are better because she’s a part of them both!”

After graduation day, Molina plans to enroll in summer courses at VC to prepare to start a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Houston-Victoria in the fall.

“My heart is for serving people,” she said. “I absolutely love my job with Chick-fil-A. What keeps me invested is the fact that we’re more in the ‘people’ business than the ‘chicken’ business.”

The knowledge that Molina is gaining at VC continues to serve her well as she builds onto her successful career and prepares for other opportunities down the road. She will come full-circle with VC when she walks the stage with her three children in attendance.

“My son graduates two weeks later from high school,” she said. “It’s a bittersweet moment. My children said, ‘You’ve done this for so long. We’ve seen you sit at the kitchen table at night. You deserve to walk so we can see you do it.’”

Molina said it’s been worth the wait.

“I work with a lot of people in high school and single mothers like myself, so I feel like I’m an advocate for the children and other mothers to tell them, ‘Hey, this is possible. VC has so many courses online that you can work 60 hours a week and get a degree at the same time.’”