How did I end up at Boys Haven? Well...I'll tell you. I had a pretty tough background like most of the kids that come here. But I was lucky. I had good grnadparents. Since my mom was both a drug addict and an alcoholic, I spent quite a bit of time with my grandparents while I was growing up.
My grandparents were loving, but strict. I got pregnant as a teen and they told me I couldn't stay with them anymore. So my 3-month old baby and I moved into Home of the Innocents. I basically went from the custody of my grandparents to the custody of the state. While living at the home, I attended high school through the Teenage Pregnancy Program (TAPP) and graduated in May 2006.When I turned 18, I ahd the opportunity to recommit to state care (provided I go to college) and I jumped all over it. I entered the Boys Haven Independent LIving Program where they found an apartment for me and helped me to enroll at Jefferson Community College. While living in the Boys Haven program, I'm proud to say that I received my Associate Degree as a Medical Assistant in December 2008 and my certification as a Medical Assistant (CMA) in January 2009.
I absolutely loved school, especially my biology classes. I ended up with a 3.6 grade point averate (GPA)! During the second year of school, we learned all the basics of a CMA like taking blood, doing vital signs, giving injections, and performing lab tests. I did my internship at Norton's Immediate Care Center on Preston Highway. I also worked on and off at Domino's Pizza while I was in school.
Probably the smartest thing I did while going to college was to save the residual checks I received (under the Pell grant program) for each semester I earned a 2.0 GPA or better. My grandmother always taught me to save, so I bought short-term CDs with these checks and had enough money to buy a car when I graduated.
I'm still living off the last bit of what I saved. I've been looking for a job everywhere, but discovered that jobs are a lot scarcer now than when I entered the Medical Assistant program a few years ago. I'm still looking though, and still so grateful to Boys Haven and to Home of the Innocents for giving me the opportunity to get a college degree.
