Service Array: Individual Skill Development and Enhancement
I grew up in a deeply unstable household with a mother who struggled with severe mental illness. We moved constantly-across states, cities, and shelters-and by the time I was a teenager, I had attended over 17 different schools. At times, we were homeless, living in tents, surrounded by poverty and untreated mental health challenges that shaped nearly every aspect of my early life.
Part of me desperately craved stability, but I didn’t know how to ask for it. My pain came out as anger, fighting, running away, and eventually turning to drugs and alcohol to escape. With no support system and my own mental health beginning to spiral, I found myself pulled into the wrong crowds-not because I didn’t want better, but because I didn’t know how to reach for it.
Eventually, the state intervened. I was labeled a juvenile delinquent and placed under supervision. My social worker tried to manage both my escalating behaviors and the instability at home, but it became too much. At 15, I entered foster care. That placement didn’t solve everything overnight, but for the first time, I felt safe. It gave me structure and a chance to begin healing. For the first time, I saw that my trauma didn’t have to dictate my entire life.
After entering care, everything changed. I became an honor student. By 16, I was working two jobs. I graduated a full year early, with college credits already earned. For the first time, I felt proud of myself. I realized I had the strength to build a different future.
After aging out of care at 18, I carried that drive with me. Over the past five years, I’ve worked with youth in various capacities-and for the past three years, I’ve worked directly in the mental health field. This work is more than a job; it’s a calling. I know what it’s like to be lost, unsupported, and unsure of your place in the world. I bring not just professional training, but lived experience. That gives me a unique ability to connect with the people I serve in a real, authentic way.
During and after my time in care, I stayed active in advocacy programs for foster youth because I know how important it is to have someone in your corner. My life motto is: “Be the adult you wish you had when you were younger.” That’s not just a quote to me-it’s my purpose.
I’ve pursued degrees in both teaching and social work at UW-Stevens Point. While I haven’t finished either yet, my journey has always centered around the same mission: to be a positive role model, a cycle-breaker, and a force for healing in my community.
Today, I’m a proud wife of 10 years and a mother to three beautiful children. Everything do-at home, at work, and in the community-is about showing others that healing is possible, change is real, and your past does not define your future. I use my story, my tools, and my experience to help others discover their own strength and rewrite their own story.