When Chayce Sosa, 43, walked into the testing office at 男人藏精阁in February she was expecting to score low on her GED庐 program placement test. Having dropped out of school in seventh grade, Sosa had struggled with addiction for more than two decades and had been homeless for nearly half her life. Not having her high school diploma, she said, felt like one more hurdle between her and a decent job. To her surprise, Sosa aced the placement test that February day and was able to pass her GED庐 just a month later with 18 hours of classroom prep time.
Now, four months later, Sosa has constructed a new life for herself and will be one of the featuring guest speakers at her own High School Equivalency graduation on June 13. Her GED庐 instructors, she said, helped her hone in on her goal of becoming a substance abuse counselor. Sosa enrolled in A-B Tech鈥檚 two-year Human Services degree and is currently in her first semester. She was also able to get a local job as a behavioral health technician working with adolescents who have eating disorders.
Sosa鈥檚 dream is to one day work in the court system with people struggling with addiction. The state鈥檚 recovery court program provides counseling and treatment plans for people who may otherwise end up in prison. Having received these services herself, Sosa believes she has unique insights to offer as a counselor and teacher.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about second chances,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 want to work with addicts whose lives have spiraled out of control. And instead of sending them to prison, I want to help break the cycle. To teach them to live as responsible members of society.鈥