ACC student Bobbie Harrison shares her story of starting a great new career with help from the MHSA scholarship program and Amador College Connect.
“Hi, my name is Bobbie Harrison and I am a participant in the MHSA scholarship program. I am writing to thank you for all of the encouragement and support your program has given me.
My whole life I have always had thoughts of not being worthy or smart enough because I have dyslexia. Recently I had the chance to do an extensive amount of testing with a dyslexia specialist and he gave me some tips and techniques that I could utilize to attain more knowledge. When I was leaving the meeting I saw a flier advertising the scholarship program. I decided to take a leap of faith and apply for the MHSA certificate program. Shortly after I applied I received notification that my application was approved.
After attending some courses I took initiative and requested a meeting with the internship coordinator. In that meeting I told her that I would like to participate in the internship program to gain experience and exposure in the human service field as I pursued my education. The internship coordinator matched me with our local wellness and recovery center. I went and met with the program coordinator at Sierra Wind to take a tour of the center and to see if this would be the right placement for me. I ended up taking advantage of the ten week internship opportunity offered through college connect.
A couple weeks into my internship I got hired at the Wellness center as a Peer Support Specialist. I have been there for about three months now and I have been given another promotion. I now have the title of Patients’ Rights Advocate. I am a single mom in my early 20’s and so the odds were stacked against me but through your program I was able to beat the statistics and stereotypes to pursue my education and I found a career that I love.”
Bobbie Harrison
Peer Support Specialist
Patients’ Rights Advocate
Sierra Wind Wellness & Recovery Center
