“Violence and abuse were a part of my life almost every day,” revealed Yamslee Vega of her powerless and devastating adolescent years. As a child, she endured a decade of long-term physical and emotional abuse. Ms. Vega was only 14 years old when she had to make the kind of difficult decisions most will never face; she decided to run away from the only life she had ever known. Lost and confused, Ms. Vega roamed the streets of Pennsylvania for two months, bouncing around from place to place. She made contact with her sister in Hopewell, Virginia and stayed with her for a while until her father called the police and made her return home because she was a minor. Ms. Vega was eventually permitted to live with another sister who lived in Pennsylvania and stayed there for about two years.

When she turned 16 years old, she moved back in with her sister in Hopewell, VA. With three children already in the house, her sister was tasked with having an extra mouth to feed. She expressed that living with her sister had its challenges, “We didn’t have any food and we lived in public housing; we were poor, but it was safer than home.” As a student at Hopewell High School, Ms. Vega admits that she’d attend school periodically, was not a good student and put forth no effort. “I never thought I was good for anything,” expressed Ms. Vega. “I barely graduated from High School.

Ultimately, she would discover a new life in the Job Corps program; due to her best friend’s mother who brought her to the Blue Ridge Job Corps Center. Although the transition would pose some challenges for her, it was a hurdle she faced with determination and discipline, as well as with the support of the entire Blue Ridge Village. During her enrollment at Blue Ridge Job Corps, she served as Vice President of the Student Government Association (SGA), completed the Nurse Aide trade, and passed her state board certification

In the Fall of 2013, the Blue Ridge Job Corps Center received approval to be-come an Advance Career Training facility that would offer a Licensed Practical Nurse degree. Unleashed with a new outlook on life, Ms. Vega made getting her associates degree a priority and completed the eighteen month Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) program. Filled with exhilaration and pride, Ms. Vega graduated from Blue Ridge’s first LPN Advance Training class and passed her LPN licensure exam.

It took enrolling into the Job Corps program to help Ms. Vega overcome her troubles and get on the right path. The entire team of instructors, counselors, and staff supported her, pushed her to dream big, and made sure she would succeed. A team of resources may have made all the dif-ference for Ms. Vega; who went on to gain em-ployment as a LPN at Philadelphia Temple Uni-versity Hospital. After just six months, Ms. Vega was making $25 an hour working on the Trau-matic Brain Injury Unit (I worked in the Physical & Medicine departments in Rehabilitation caring for children with traumatic brain injuries and Cerebral Palsy) at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She continued working at the Hos-pital for 5 years while attending LaSalle University at nights and on the week-ends. In December 2015, she graduated the Nursing Program, Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Science. During her Junior year, she became a member of the International Nursing Association Sigma Theta Tau, due to her high-grade point average. (The nursing honors society is by invitation only.)

Ms. Vega passed her Registered Nurse Licensure in February 2016 and is currently working as a Registered Nurse for the Albert Einstein Open Heart Step Down Unit. She supervises two to four nursing assistants on every shift and has a caseload of four to six patients. Ms. Vega is now focused on the next steps of her academic career. She’s bound to enter the University of Pennsylvania this Fall to pursue a Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN), with a specialization in Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). “I was so excited, I never thought I would be accepted into an Ivy League School,” giggled Ms. Vega.
“I have come so far; I have accomplished things I never thought I had the abil-ity to accomplish,” attested Ms. Vega. Her advice to Blue Ridge students, “NEVER GIVE UP and do not let your past determine your future; being at Blue Ridge gives you the opportunity to find who you are, and how you can to contribute to society.” Ms. Vega added, “I am very blessed, because in addi-tion to all the good things that have happened to me, I just bought a house and I will be moving in it in September.”

According to the National Children’s Alliance Center, in the United States, each year more than 750,000 children become the victims of child abuse. That’s one case every 10 seconds. Ms. Vega wanted to share her story to reassure victims of abuse that they are not alone and that what happened to them was not their fault. She wants them to know that she made it …and they can make it too! Although Ms. Vega may have been subjected to the long-term effects abuse can have on a person’s life, she refused to let it break her spirit. Ms. Vega’s story is a true testament of how one can overcome adversity, and that the negative im-pacts that typically define an individual socially and economically, and can be used as motivation to persevere.