“If I can get through where my rock bottom was, if I can build up from that, I can do anything because the rock bottom almost destroyed me so I can do anything. So no, I’m not quitting.”
Amid the six-week semiconductor technician program with Fresh Start, Danae* celebrated her birthday. She was surprised to come home and find a birthday card from her 17-year-old son:
‘Happy Birthday Mom. I love you and miss you so much. I’ve seen how hard you’ve been working recently, and I hope you know how proud I am. You motivate me to be the best version of myself because I want to make you just as proud. I’m so grateful to have you as my mom. You’ve taught me so much about life, and you are always by my side if I ever needed help. Thank you for being the amazing mom that you are and for showing me how to be the amazing son that I am. I love you more than words can describe.’
The letter struck an exceptional chord with Danae, who had worked relentlessly for the past four years to make lifestyle changes and eradicate the addictions from her daily habits.
After an unexpected separation and divorce from her husband, Danae found an escape with harmful addictions that not only pained her but impacted the childhood of her young son.
“To come home to that, to know that he knows that I’m trying. And he understands that I made a lot of mistakes, but Fresh Start is part of that change because they have given me the resources to better myself. Where else can you go to get your school paperwork and get all this support in one building?”
In 2019, Danae worked with a counselor who referred her to Fresh Start for its Family Law Support services. Once at Fresh Start, she enjoyed other free resources like the Personal Empowerment Series, one-on-one success coaching, and Microsoft Office workshops. She continued to attend workshops even when they shifted to Zoom-only during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The next year, she relapsed.
“To be honest, when I was making bad choices, I was not home. I wasn’t around… (Now) I want to be there for my son because I wasn’t for so long. I’m trying to be the best mom that I can be every day moving forward because I can’t change what damage was done.”
Denae was determined to reconnect with her son and wanted financial freedom that would facilitate quality time together, and a career that helped fill her retirement account that her gambling addiction had drained.
“I’m looking for a career change. I’ve been bartending for forever. It’s great money, easy. But as I get older, I had to have surgery on my neck…so I just couldn’t go back to doing it…and I had to do something.”
She also needed a career training program that didn’t require a significant monetary commitment.
“I needed to have something where I could quickly get the qualifications without spending a bunch of money for my master’s. Something that was going to provide an opportunity to move up.”
That’s how Fresh Start’s semiconductor technician program caught Danae’s eye.
“I was just reading that the semiconductor industry is huge in Arizona. I think Arizona might be the biggest sector for this industry and the amount of people they will need in the next 5-10 years.”
She applied and was accepted into the semiconductor technician program beginning in Fall 2024. She was thrilled to immediately dive into understanding semiconductors, what an entry-level role in the industry would be like day-to-day, and new knowledge on schematic diagrams and manufacturing tools.
“It gave me an idea of what it would look like to work in a clean room, and it is something I can do in a full suit and goggles. It gave me an idea of what being in the semiconductor industry meant. Every class, she would show a little video; technologically, it’s amazing; it’s mind-blowing.”
Fresh Start also helped Danae build her resume, hone her skills in mock interviews, and even set up her own LinkedIn profile.
The excitement of learning new things propelled Danae through the program. She knew she could not quit when the upside of completing the course was so monumental for her journey to self-sufficiency.
“If I can get through where my rock bottom was, if I can build up from that, I can do anything because the rock bottom almost destroyed me, so I can do anything. So no, I’m not quitting.”
Self-doubts only began to creep into Danae’s mind as the program came to a close, and she and her peers started to submit applications for open positions in the semiconductor industry.
“The most difficult thing is not letting my own thoughts in my head or my self-doubt or my fear of not being good enough, not allowing that to stop me from taking that next step so that I can continue onto this career path.”
In those moments, Danae knew she could be vulnerable about her mindset with Fresh Start team members and get much needed support.
“I emailed (Fresh Start team member) Sandra about being afraid to send out these resumes because I doubted that I was qualified. I knew that if I just asked for help, we talked for an hour, and she gave me some tips and I sent out two resumes that day.”
She felt extra comfort during her job application journey, as Fresh Start’s partnership with major companies in the semiconductor industry provided a leg up.
“I feel confident that this program is so amazing, and they (Fresh Start) work so well with other companies in Phoenix that if I come in with confidence and have my resume ready, these people are already looking and know what Fresh Start does to empower us and I feel confident that I’ll be able to get a job.”
Danae hopes that other women looking for a step in a new direction find Fresh Start’s plethora of career training and education programs.
“(My advice is) to seek the resources out there, utilize them, and surround yourself with people who want the same. People that want nothing from you but success, to see you be successful and to just keep going. We all feel down, we all get tired, but if you’re surrounded by people that you can trust and who have your best interest, and you are seeking resources that are offered to you, Fresh Start has a lot.”
After graduating from the semiconductor technician program, Danae feels confident about her future, her recovery, and building her relationship with her son.
“I know that I’m going to be okay. I know it’s a little nerve-wracking at my age not to have any savings. I cashed out everything, but I’m going to be okay. And good things will keep coming to me… There’s so much good going on in the world; we just have to seek it.”