“My entire life, I have always been the one people turned to when things are hard.”
Leah has seen a great deal of hardship in her life, and she always stepped up to help when those around her have turned to her. Then, she realized that she needed someone to turn to, and that is when she found Live & Learn.
In 8th grade, Leah’s life turned upside down unexpectedly when her parents were sent to prison. She and her younger sisters were split up between different households, but Leah felt a responsibility to reunite her siblings. “I was just a kid, too, so there wasn’t a lot I could do, but I knew I had to help.”
The siblings were reunited when Leah was in high school, and she continued to feel a responsibility to take care of them. “I was always worried about my sisters, were they doing okay, were they struggling with all that was going on.” Leah, still just a teenager and experiencing the same trauma her sisters were going through, assumed the role of protector and parent for her young siblings.
When Leah’s parents were released and her sisters no longer depended on her in the same way, Leah felt lost. “I didn’t have a normal childhood, then the freedom I suddenly got, not having to take care of my sisters, it just threw me over the edge.” She stopped worrying about her grades, she started hanging out with the wrong crowd, and she moved out of her family home to be on her own.
“I worked two full-time jobs and used all the money on myself, just enjoying life, but I wasn’t happy.”
Leah thought a career and better pay was what she was missing, and she enrolled in YearUp Arizona’s intensive career training program. As she started the program, she was struggling. “I was working shifts on the side to get together enough money just to afford transportation to school.”
YearUp, recognizing Leah’s great potential, referred her to Live & Learn. Her Live & Learn Client Coordinator helped Leah with budgeting and planning, providing stipends, and connected her with resources for any support she needed to be successful in YearUp’s program. “With Live & Learn’s help, I budgeted and saved up enough to get a reliable car and make sure I have enough money for gas.” She also accessed mental healthcare services, attended workshops on professionalism, and received coaching on resume-writing and interviewing.
With the support of Live & Learn, Leah graduated from YearUp, secured a job she loves at American Express, and is thriving. She continues to work with her Client Coordinator to advance her education, strengthen her financial literacy skills, and plan for the future.
Leah has always been the one others turn to during hard times. “But Live & Learn is there for me when I need someone to turn to, and I know I can count on them. I can achieve anything because they’re by my side.”
