On October of 2006, I walked into the Carroll County Family Support Center with two young children — one just 14 months old and the other only 2 months. I was simply looking for help finding a crib for my youngest. What I didn’t know that day was that I was also about to find a new beginning.
The service coordinator I met immediately began connecting me with resources. As we talked, I shared that I was just half a credit short of graduating from high school. She encouraged me to take the next step — and I did. The following week, I enrolled in the center’s GED class.
From that moment, the Family Support Center became like a second home. I spent every day there engaging in parent-child activities, family events, and studying for my GED. In July of 2007, all that hard work paid off: I took my test and passed.
Not long after, a position opened for a Child Development Assistant. I applied and was hired in October of 2007 — the same month that had once marked the beginning of my journey for help.
In 2009, I welcomed my third child. Shortly after returning from maternity leave, the Family Support Worker/Data Entry position became available, and I stepped into that role. For the next 15 years, from 2010 till July 2025, I was the Family Support Worker/Data Entry.
Then, in 2025, the center’s longtime director retired after 27 years, and our service coordinator transitioned into that leadership role. When the Service Coordinator position opened, I was encouraged to apply. And I did — with gratitude and a deep sense of purpose.
As of July 2025, I am honored to serve as the Service Coordinator of the Carroll County Family Support Center — the very position that changed my life nearly two decades ago.
Looking back, I realize that if it weren’t for that service coordinator and the Family Support Center in 2006, I might never have found my path. Today, I get to be that same source of hope and guidance for others — to help parents see that no matter where they start, they can build the life they dream of.
What began as a search for a crib became a journey of transformation — from a young mother seeking support to a leader helping families grow, learn, and thrive.
Because when someone believes in you — and you learn to believe in yourself — there’s no limit to how far you can go.