I was introduced to drugs and alcohol at
a very young age my mom was putting
alcohol on my baby bottles and I was
smoking weed with my mom and my aunt by
the age of five so I didn't really have
your typical you know childhood or
upbringing
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on the flute I got sent to Austin HEC
the transitional the halfway house here
like a week into being there I'd seen
flyers up on the walls over there of
this place didn't really pay too much
attention to him but somebody had just
had an interview with them and was
telling me about it the different
programs they had and they had classes
starting and that was became my focus
you know that that's what I wanted to do
that's what I needed it was just kind of
that's that was I just need that that's
what it was that I needed and so I put
everything on the back burner you know
to see wait and see if I got accepted
into the program and when I found out
that I was accepted into the program I
was ecstatic I mean they finally gave me
something to focus on
I'm I just plunged myself completely
into it
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the hvac turned out to be perfect
because it covers everything I mean we
covered
we covered electrical and we did
plumbing and and pipe fitting and
brazing and soldering and we even been
into welding and so we have you
know that covered a little bit of
everything this field is in demand it's
never going to go away people are gonna
want to be cool and they are gonna want
to be warm and it doesn't matter what
the what the economy is that's just what
that is thank you I had a lot of
obstacles and barriers in my path but I
refused to let them win or get the best
of me it was my pride but this time I
probably my favorite I've never studied
for anything as much as I did for this
class I put everything I had into it and
it paid off now that I've graduated I'm
gonna start applying for jobs and I'm
gonna stay I'm Austin has been good to
me so far and I see that it's a booming
city and so I'm gonna stay here in
Austin for a while you know I don't have
any here's as good as anywhere and so
you can be a girly girl in stand work in
this industry I mean I like to have my
hair did and my nails done and my makeup
on but I'm also not afraid to get down
and dirty and do something you know
different I don't have to follow the
mainstream and I think more women should
get into it because it's a great
opportunity
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