Coming from a dropout, a high school dropout, no education, no real job, coming straight out of active addiction and then to this new life of recovery.

When I finally found H POG I noticed the medical office assistant training as an option.

My immediate thoughts were that would be a great opportunity for me to learn the skill set that I had not had but I thought that that would be a wonderful goal and a stepping stone and be able to build upon it with many more certifications as I progressed through the HPOG pathways.

Cook Inlet Tribal Councils Health Profession Opportunity Grants or HPOG program provides opportunities for TANF recipients and other low-income individuals the opportunity to become certified healthcare professionals to meet the workforce needs in health care.

Just reflecting so much of why I do what I do, Why I'm building this life and why I struggle at times.

It's a to give it to her so she can grow up and have more stability maybe that I had never had.

You know I had never had a daughter, I've never lived life without drugs, I had never had a job.

I never went to school.

I had so many Nevers and now the possibilities are endless.

And it's because of her I wake up every day and remember that.

When I first started at HPOG I had hoodies and sneakers and jeans.

I came from the village you know and I never had a real job before and what was super beneficial to get me to help me in my professional development was those supportive services.

So it wasn't just them paying for me to do my medical office assistant training but there was incentives supportive services to help me with money to buy professional attire and removed the barriers that I may have experienced to be as successful as I am today.

I needed to use those services as a stepping-stone to get to my ultimate dream job which is being the director of recovery services to give back.

I'm three years strong and so it's possible and so that's where my passion for for recovery services like I knew that was going to be my goal.

I think that is a really important value to to keep trying to instill you know in her to to be able to recognize meeting goals and to recognize new things and successes.

To be proud of not only me but be proud of herself.

My hope for the message for somebody who'smaybe sitting on their couch, maybe in a small village as I was who maybe has no money and has no hope.

There are resources and you just got to tap into those resources.

Alaska @ Work is part of American Graduate: Getting to Work.

Made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.