I am 43 years old. In 1995, my grandmother died and I couldn‘t afford to maintain the apartment she and I were living in. With no other family to turn to and unable to pay the rent and bills on my own, I became homeless. I was addicted to cocaine until May of 2001 when I entered a substance abuse treatment facility. I was referred to ACE‘s job training/employment readiness program, Project Comeback. I knew I would need to make sacrifices and draw from my strengths, find a job I can excel in and begin the climb to the top. With the help of Project Comeback, I re-learned how to do that.

I enrolled in New York Restaurant School with the goal of becoming a Chef. I was successful in achieving this goal. During my participation in the program, I found my own apartment and with the help of my job developer at Project Comeback, found a job at Basics "a rehabilitation center" cooking for 125 clients and staff. I was honored in Project Comeback‘s graduation in December 2001. I keep in contact with the staff and continue to seek support from them. 9 months after I was hired at Basics, I was promoted to Head Cook. In October of 2002, I graduated from New York Restaurant School, made the Deans List and ended with a final 3.9 GPA. I was awarded a Sallie Mae Grant, which fully covers tuition for furthering my education. Without the care from Project Comeback, I would never have had the confidence to take the chances I did and follow my dreams.