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- Lorraine
- Tami
- Kyt
- Cheri
- Mary
- Sara
"My first day at WWEE was the first day of the rest of my life. I learned to
have hope...and I learned to believe in ME." |
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WWEE Success Stories
Lorraine married her best friend at the age of seventeen
and thought she had discovered the American Dream. Unfortunately, the young
marriage turned into a rocky, often abusive relationship. “He wanted my support,”
she said. “But I wasn’t getting the support I needed from him.”
Lorraine decided she wanted more out of life for herself and her three children.
When she first entered the doors of WWEE’s previous King County office in West
Seattle, it was an overwhelming experience. “Everyone has their own story to tell
and, before you know it, you have an amazing bond with other women including a support system.”
Lorraine graduated from WWEE in 1995 and took full advantage of the career assessments
that helped her to narrow down what she wanted to do with her professional life.
Lorraine said the affirmations and words of wisdom from WWEE’s caring staff and her
classmates were the real support for her. “WWEE gave me the permission to think of no
one else other than myself,” she said. “To think, what do I really want in life and how
can I achieve it. It was just the type of permission I needed.”
After graduation, Lorraine joined the Americorps for two years and performed a variety
of social service work, including helping elementary students, teen mothers and the Latino community.
From her involvement with Americorps and empowerment by WWEE, she landed a job with
First Place helping displaced workers find employment. Nine years later, Lorraine
still works for First Place and has been promoted through the ranks to Housing Manager,
helping families sustain and maintain permanent housing.
Lorraine is now divorced from her husband. She focuses her time not only on her children,
but also on herself as she attends social work classes part-time at Seattle Central Community
College. “When you fall down,” said Lorraine. “You pick yourself up, dust off and try again.”
And now she has the opportunity to help others pick themselves up and try again.
For the privacy and safety of our participants some names have been changed and some photos have been omitted.
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Copyright© 2007 Washington Women's Employment & Education
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