Miriam

Miriam’s challenges began when she suffered one of the greatest losses of her life as her mother passed away after a two-year battle with cancer. Her mom was her everything, especially since Miriam had never known her father, so the loss affected her deeply. At the same time, Miriam became separated from her own children’s father. In the grief of the loss of her mother and her relationship, Miriam felt completely alone.  

She tried to go back to school two or three times with the hope of making a better living for her children. But each time she found it hard to follow through without the support and encouragement of her mother who helped with childcare and was a constant cheerleader in her corner.  

Ten years after the death of her mother, Miriam experienced another inexplicable loss with the passing of her 16-year-old son.  

“At that point, I had to fight my life struggles by myself, and it was hard,” Miriam said. “I had no more motivation to do anything.” 

At her lowest point, Miriam remembered Fresh Start catalogs that someone dropped off at her old workplace, so she decided to go online and learn about what was offered. 

“I wanted to do something else,” Miriam explains. “I wanted to do something that made me proud, that made me feel good about what I was doing and where I was going.” 

In January 2022, Miriam connected with a Fresh Start social worker to help her map out her goals and learn how to achieve them. She enrolled in the Dream Builder program and received a scholarship for Paradise Valley Community College’s Small Business Startup Program (SBSU), which she is currently finishing. 

Now that Miriam is closer than ever before to reaching her dreams, she is excited about the future and grateful for Fresh Start’s help along the way. 

“This community makes me feel at home and makes me feel supported,” Miriam shares. “I feel like they’ve been holding my hand and bringing me to where I want to go, to my new journey, to the fresh start I needed.”