I’m Katie and I have been a client of Pathways since June 2013. I did not know what to do with life at the time. Pathways was my only saving grace.
When I joined, there was a sigh of relief, but at the same time I was scared. I did not know what to do. Two years later, I believe I have grown a lot and have learned so much.
Each and every day I am evolving into the person I want to be.
I am making better progress in school and being more attentive in my studies. Pathways has given me the freedom to be able to learn and grow. When I fall, my support system is there to help mentor me and guide me to a healthy and independent life. And when I rise, I am held accountable to make decisions which will guide me in a positive direction. Pathways has given me so much that I will always be grateful: a car, a great mechanic to fix my car at no cost to me, and a place to live a healthy and clean life.
Pathways has done so much for me and every girl in the program that I will forever be thankful. I have made friendships and come to appreciate the battles and struggles the other girls have experienced. I started on Pathways not really knowing what to do. I was taking it for granted. I found myself out of compliance with the requirements of the program. I had it backward.
I joined Pathways to live a healthy life, not run away with more troubles. It took a lot of inner self changing, and I had to get a little slap to wake up to the consequences that I was bound to face if I did not follow the Pathways guidelines.
Lisa Fluke and Peggy Dawson have really sat down with me and worked with me to become more responsible with my life. I still struggle with finance every now and then, but I have come a long way since then. I go to therapy once every week and update my mentor, Maura, every week. The more I rely on those to whom I am accountable, the better my lifestyle gets.
And I want to give back and demonstrate my purpose in Pathways, which has shaped me into the person who is wise with her choices and knows what she wants in life. With my future looking bright, I have so much thanks to give.
Currently, I am going to California State University, Long Beach, majoring in Liberal Studies with hopes of becoming an Elementary school teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing. I love the school, and the campus is beautiful. I live near the campus with two other great girls, also CSULB students. I really enjoyed the EDSP classes specializing in special education. I have learned so much and now have a definite idea of what I want to do when I teach.
I am a quote freak. I have several special daily quotes, but one of my absolute favorites is tattooed on my wrist, “Let go.” It is a way of saying let go, and let God. Let Him take care of my burdens and turn them into mercies in disguise. I applies to my life so much. The retreat was a great way of helping me to “let go” of the pain and the struggles of my past. The self defense class helped me to let go of fear and use my strength and body to fight and protect. Overall, Pathways has given me so much to grow. I still make mistakes along the way, but I live and learn to become a better individual.
