Go ahead and dare me to do something and it’s going to get done! But really, no one had to dare me to go to college. Like many, when I was 18 I was more concerned with moving out of Mom and Dad’s than furthering my education. Yeah, that’s the rebellion in me. I did it backwards. I got married and had a child and chose a career first. Things changed in 1999 when I had my motor vehicle accident and now I was a proud owner of a TBI. So what now?

I had my years of trials and tribulations and most consumers can compare stories but I wanted more. I always regretted not furthering my education so I made the leap of faith and applied to Clinton Community College. Guess what? I GOT ACCEPTED! Something was happening to me and I was truly surprising myself! I was even getting better grades in college than I was in high school. And I was almost 20 years out of high school when I graduated CCC this May 14th, 2010!

What I’m trying to say is don’t limit yourself! Make goals and don’t be afraid to aim high! You are capable of anything if you just put your mind to it. I proved it to myself and you can too. I devoted my degree to the Human Services field so that I can help and advocate for those with TBI. I fell through many ‘cracks in the system’ during my decade of recuperation and it is my aim to help and advocate for those who cannot do so for themselves. Even if it’s just one consumer I can ‘save’, then this whole journey was totally worth it!

I thank the many Residential Resources people for helping me along the way, consumers and office staff alike. I truly enjoyed and was grateful for the opportunity to work in the office when I was able to. I may be off on other journeys with my new degree but I hope I am not forgotten. I can definitely say that of Residential Resources as you all will never be forgotten either. Residential Resources was a major stepping stone for me and again, I can’t thank you all enough!