Collette Divitto has always been an avid baker. Ever since she was fifteen, she remembers baking on weekends and for friends and family. As her passion grew, she knew she wanted to spend her life as a baker. When she was 22, she quickly began applying for jobs all over Boston.

She began hitting rejection after rejection.

Many people who interviewed me for jobs said I was really nice but not a good fit for them,” writes Divitto in an interview with Upworthy. “It was really hurtful and I felt rejected a lot.”

Divitto began to feel self-conscious about her down syndrome and wondered if that was why she was facing rejection in so many interviews. Despite these rejections, she decided not to let them dissuade her from pursuing her passion. With the help of her mother and her sister, the three of them set up a company with her called Collettey’s.

Soon after their company was started, they received a recurring order from Boston’s Golden Goose Market! This followed with coverage from CBS and by December of 2016, she had 10,000 orders to fulfill!

“My biggest success so far is how big my company is growing, which means I can start hiring people with and without disabilities,” Divitto says about her successful business.