Before Pathways found me, I was struggling to make ends meet. I had begun studying at a community college and could not see any way to continue working on my degree while constantly having to choose between work and school, or rent and textbooks. I was working full-time at a minimum-wage job to keep bills paid, while trying to learn a trade, so I could be more financially stable, going to school full-time with hopes for a better future, and continuing to build a foundation in sobriety after escaping the hell of active drug addiction. I knew that I had too much on my plate, and that I would soon have to give up on one or more of my dreams because I did not have the resources-or the emotional stability- to continue doing everything. Even though the trajectory of my life was slowly headed upward, I had the sinking feeling that I was not going to make it on my own much longer.
It was during this point in my life that I was given the opportunity to join Pathways. Pathways is what made it possible to for me to continue working toward all of my goals without having to give up on any of them. The program removed the crippling burden of financial insecurity and provided me with a huge group of incredible people, all of whom have guided me, cheered me on and gifted me with a degree of emotional support I had never encountered before in life. Today, I am almost finished with my Bachelor’s degree; I have seven years sober and a job that I love. Most importantly, thanks to Pathways, I have the confidence that I’ve been given what it takes to succeed in life.
GT
