Candace’s Story

Candace is a 19 year old with a 5 month old son, Terrence. Candace came to New Moms in spring of 2013 after a series of traumatic life events. Most recently, Candace’s husband had been sent to jail after an episode of domestic violence and child abuse. Candace lost custody of her child as a result of this incident. She also struggled to pay rent for her apartment without the financial assistance she had been receiving from her husband.

Candace came to New Moms’ Academy of Professional Development with many life difficulties, but also with a clear goal to work towards becoming a nurse. While in classroom training, Candace showed a lot of resilience and self-determination towards her life goals, despite the many personal challenges that she was facing.

During her paid practicum at Bright Endeavors, Candace showed a lot of promise in her work. Candace had already grown so much during her time at New Moms. She exhibited skills as an intuitive leader who was self-directed, professional, and kindhearted. She continued to be persistent and maintained a high standard for herself in time management and communication in the workplace.  With support and assistance from New Moms staff, Candace was able to help stabilize her housing and get custody of her child.

Through New Moms job search, Candace gained employment working in customer service at 16/hr. This job gave her the confidence and financial stability to take control of her life again. At work, Candace continues to build strong relationships with others and shows many leadership skills. She has enrolled in community college classes for the fall. She will take her prerequisite classes for her nursing degree and keeps her eyes on her future nursing career.