As a 9th grade drop-out with no skills, from Greenville in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, it was hard finding support and a pathway to success for me but, I didn’t let that deter me from trying. In June 2011 I enrolled in Job Corps and was assigned to the Finch-Henry campus in Batesville. Upon arrival, everyone on campus opened their arms to me, from the students, to the cafeteria staff, the instructors, and dormitory staff, everyone accepted me for me, showing me kindness and understanding that I was not used to.

After job shadowing, I chose the Office Assistant Program. I completed the OA Program in October of 2011 and as well as received my diploma. Finishing my trade and high school diploma brought me a huge sense of accomplishment but, I was still not ready to go back to the delta. My instructors and counselor encouraged me to join the ACT program and to attend Northwest Community College which I happily did. After an enjoyable two years at Northwest, I knew it was time to move on, I had to keep steady on the path.

I enrolled at Delta State University, and in December of 2016, I earned my bachelor’s degree in psychology. Still moving forward I began working on my master’s the very next semester. I joined the Army National Guard in 2019 but my time there was cut short due to family illness however, that didn’t stop the drive instilled in me at Job Corps. In early 2021 I moved to McKinney, Texas where I now live and work as a mental health technician at an area crisis center. My end goal is to become a substance abuse counselor, and to finish my master’s. I will not give up, Job Corps transformed my life by giving me a path to follow, the rest is up to me.