SUCCESS STORIES: Meet Jamia (Externship in Phlebotomy)

"My name is Jamia, I'm 19 years young. Growing up was hard for me because of the neighborhoods I lived in. It was about survival and how we were going to make it to see the next day. I think living by those rules everyday changed my mentality, because I was living for one day at a time instead of the rest of my life. At 18 I went to Juvenile Hall, and everything I did in the dark came into the light.

I got out and I didn’t really have that same determination to go back to the streets to get money. I felt like I’m getting older, mature, I can’t keep living like this. I got a job at the Hall Closet Thrift Store, referred by my therapist. I worked there for a couple of months where I met and bonded with a lot of positive influences, women and men who gave me the strength and guidance to do better.

My next move was trying to find a career I could be happy with and gain a lot of money from. I eventually chose becoming a phlebotomist and the Hall Closet helped pay my school tuition. I started school, which I can say was successful! I can now say for the first time in many years that I am proud of myself and blessed."