Turning Hope into a Career of Helping Others

Sarah is an amazing peer resource navigator at a nonprofit reentry program that provides referrals and resources to formerly incarcerated individuals coming out of correctional facilities, the homeless community, victims of domestic violence and substance abuse, as well as those dealing with transitional needs due to unexpected life changes. She is also a graduate of Pioneer's Roadmap to Success job-readiness training program and regularly attends the new graduations offering assistance, resources and support to our graduates. We are fortunate to have such an excellent community partner!

Sarah’s Story

“I feel like the phoenix who rises from the ashes of its previous life. The phoenix is a symbol of hope, of life and of better things to come, born from the knowledge and experience of difficult times and challenging circumstances. Spoiler alert… It would take a long time for this phoenix to rise, but I did. 

History
One year ago, I stepped out of the door of incarceration and began to breathe free air. I spent over six years obeying and conforming to prison life. I was locked in a box and for me walking out of prison was like waking up. I was free - but now what?

Freedom means nothing unless you use it. Freedom is all about choice. This is my reentry story but moreover, it’s a story about cherishing every breath you have and using your energy to fill your heart, mind and life with purpose. 

In 2017, I was involved in a fatal car accident driving home from work, where the motorcyclist I struck was killed on impact. Every bone was broken and so many family dreams were crushed beneath the upside down green Subaru Outback I was driving. I was within a mile from my home when I got into the accident, but now I found myself light years away from a life that was manageable and happy.

Not a day goes by that I don’t feel regret, remorse, sadness and grief for all of the things that happened as a result of that day. Today, I know I was completely lost and shrouded in a mask of self-deception. As the police cuffed me to the ambulance gurney, my old life ended and that is the beginning/starting place of this story. 

Finally, after two and a half years, my case went to trial and the jury found me guilty. I was sentenced to 102 months in prison (that equals nine and a half years). I served my time and came out on the other side. But now what was I supposed to do? 

Roadmap to Success
I was focused on creating a better life and I needed a job. My community corrections officer recommended Pioneer Human Service’s Roadmap to Success program and I applied. In the program, I created a resume, learned about what to say about my past and began to interview. Mr. Castillo, the Roadmap instructor, shared with the students in my class how to work on turning past negatives in our lives to assets. The Roadmap program was a stepping stone that helped me get my life back.

Peer Resource Navigator
I also learned about what resources other people were finding and started researching on my own. It became my mission to hunt for other available services and programs in the community, besides Pioneer, that were being offered to formerly incarcerated people. I found other services that provided eye glasses, clothing and financial housing assistance. The more I looked - the more I found. It was like participating in an Easter egg hunt every day.  All the new resources I found made me excited!

I eventually learned to turn this new excitement into a career and became a peer resource navigator in King County that supports justice-involved or formerly incarcerated people find a successful way through reentry. 

It is a joy watching our participants grow and overcome their challenges. It makes my life full.”