Embedded Files
Veronica Smith* grew up in a house with seven siblings. Her parents were cruel, abusive and full-time meth addicts who cooked the drug in their bathtub. Other addicts frequently came to their house to purchase drugs. It was standard practice for all of the children to panhandle for food and money. These kids were unsupervised and neglected; They had no sense of home. According to Veronica, it was "hell on earth".
Veronica, who struggles daily with her own addiction has now been clean for one year. During that year, she earned her HSE (High School Equivalency) Certificate through the ACCE program. Veronica had to work harder than some because of her lack of education in her formative years, but she claims that she succeeded because her "instructor made her feel worthy of earning it".
She is a true inspiration for all who believe they cannot make it. Her daily struggle to stay clean will hopefully lessen as she replaces those thoughts with her dreams and successes. She said, “If I can make it without using drugs to the evening when I lay my head on the pillow, I have won for that day.” Veronica replaces bad habits with good ones, and one of them has been the ACCE program. She wants to continue on to college, where she will study agriculture. She plans to have an organic farm where she can work hard to keep healthy in her body and mind.
Juana Trujillo, a student at ACCE Rio Rancho, is a single mother of three. After six months of living on disability, she was forced to apply for TANF to support her family. Juana’s dream is to turn her life around, get a good job and provide a better future for her children. This hardworking lady can be heard telling others, “This is something I want to do -- I CAN DO! These classes challenge me to go further.” Juana is very excited about the ACCE program and the opportunities that it will give her.
Report abuse