Crystal

Fresh Start turned Crystal’s* life around. The woman she is now is happy, empowered, employed, and a proud role model to her three children. She’ll be the first to say how she wasn’t always that way.  

Before she found Fresh Start in 2021, Crystal was depressed and hopeless. She didn’t have a driver’s license, or a job and she found herself completely dependent on her husband. She didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life or how to be an example for her children as a stay-at-home mom. Her depression was seeping into other areas of her life, affecting her marriage and her parenting.  

“I thought I was supposed to be a housewife and I was in denial for years that that would be enough for me,” Crystal remembered. “It hit me hard when my daughter was born, I needed support.” 

Crystal found Fresh Start on social media and was connected with staff who encouraged her to utilize the organization’s resources. After the birth of her daughter, Crystal signed up for a webinar, and her Fresh Start journey began.  

Crystal’s Fresh Start journey began with an online webinar and then evolved into numerous other programs along the Impact Program bridge to self-sufficiency.  “All the webinars were so helpful that I even did them twice.” Crystal shared. She enrolled in the Personal Empowerment Series, the Computer Literacy Program, Jump Start, the Mentor Program, and most recently, the Semiconductor Technician Training.  

“Fresh Start turned my life around in so many ways. I am happy now. I learned so much about myself that it amazes me… I now know I am not just a housewife and stay-at-home mom; I can be somebody. I can have a career and still be a mom to my kids.” 

With the courses from Fresh Start and her successful completion of the Semiconductor Training, Crystal attained a job in the semiconductor industry and empowered her life further by securing a driver’s license. Through the years, Crystal continued to return to Fresh Start, even taking some of the webinar courses twice to soak in every last detail.  

“All the support you get from the staff, it was like Fresh Start was my second home. When I had no support, I knew I could rely on Fresh Start. Fresh Start was there for me through some of the hardest times of my life.” 

Crystal acknowledges that without Fresh Start’s influence on her life, she wouldn’t have pushed the limits on attaining what she once feared.  

“Without Fresh Start I would not be driving nor would I be the role model to my kids that I am now. I wouldn’t be doing things that I was afraid of. I definitely wouldn’t be starting a career.  

My future is looking bright. I will further my education, I will have a dream career doing something with technology. Maybe even own my own technology business. I have always dreamed of being a business owner.”