I am a former high school drop out, seasonal farmworker and welfare mother. At age 27 I worked my way through college, majoring in the field of Paralegal. Unfortunately in the 80's paralegals were all but unheard of and jobs were few and far between. The best I could do was a part time job for a non profit law firm. I found a better opportunity as a job counselor/intake worker for another non profit serving farmworkers seeking full time employment. I went back to college, taking classes in human services and grant writing. I found this job very rewarding and worked my way up to manager and eventually managed services for all of Kings county. I knew that I had degenerative disk disease and it began to take its toll over the last few years I worked for this company. I was laid off due to cutbacks in 2007, Seeking a job at my age and with my increasing back pain made it very hard. Eventually my Doctor said it was time to go on disability because I had multiple issues with my back. So I am now retired. Recently I have decided to return to school full time online and get my BA. in child and adult counseling. I hope I can still help people as my physical health allows.