Eight years ago I was a homeless single mother with two toddlers. I had no job and no idea how I was going to provide for my family. I had heard that there were supports for people in my situation to go back to school and earn a degree, so I took the plunge and enrolled full time at the University of Maine. Now I am working on a Master's degree, something I would never have believed I could accomplish, and getting ready to start a career in Social Work. I have had innumerable opportunities since coming back to school that have pushed me to grow both in knowledge and in self-confidence. My educational experience has been such an intrinsic part of making me the woman that I am today and I want others to have the same chance that I had to go back to school.
LD 1774 is a Maine bill that will expand the same support services that I used to other low-income parents. Its goal is to provide a path out of poverty for Maine families, increasing the parents' earning potential and also making it more likely that the children will pursue post-secondary education as adults. When I heard about this bill I knew that I had to share my story and encourage our legislators to pass this important bill. I reached out to the advocacy group Maine Equal Justice Partners. With their support, I traveled to our capitol in Augusta and testified at the public hearing. They also arranged for me to share my story at a press conference organized by the bill's sponsor. I followed up with a letter to the committee members and attended the work session, where I am very happy to report the bill received a unanimous vote of "ought to pass." Many amazing people worked hard to get this bill through the committee and I am glad to have been part of that effort.
I have to say that this is one of my prouder moments. It was amazing to share my story and feel like it made an impact. People kept telling me that I handled the press conference and the testimony like a pro, and I kept saying that after going to Washington, DC with LEND this was easy! I mentioned earlier that my education has provided me with many incredible experiences and LEND was one of the most important of those. I am so thankful to the LEND program for providing me with experiences that built my self-confidence and gave me an understanding and a passion for the importance of policy work.
