04.01.2020

Pamela Learns from Adversity: ‘There’s Always Going to be Some Way to Face It’

By Jesse Colman, Treehouse Public Relations Specialist

March marked the end of Pamela’s maternity leave until the COVID-19 crisis struck. With daycares closed, returning to her work is no longer possible, at least for now.

“It’s kind of rough with the virus going on since I’m not making money for my family,” Pamela said.

Pamela is no stranger to overcoming adversity. Her senior year of high school, she moved out of her foster home into independent living. Bouncing from home to home and struggling to make ends meet, she started to fall behind in school and the drive to graduate began to slip away. Through it all, her Graduation Success Coordinator continued checking in to make sure she had a safe place to stay.

“She would call me, talk to me and she was there for me,” Pamela said. “Without her, I wouldn’t have been motivated to want to graduate.”

Pamela leaned in, caught up on her school work and earned her high school diploma.

After high school, things didn’t get much easier. Working a job where she was struggling to get enough hours to cover her rent made the possibility of attending school seem out of reach. Then she found out she was pregnant.

“So I got a job at Panda Express and around that time I reached out to Rene,” Pamela said. “I had questions about college and attending Spokane Community College.”

Rene Jones is a Treehouse Launch Success Coach working with young people who have experienced foster care as they transition into adulthood.

“She had her baby girl—Liora—in December. It was all brand new, but still she was determined to press through and start school,” Rene said. “Finding time to do homework while taking care of a newborn isn’t easy, but she buckles down and does the work.”

Pamela is earning straight A’s at Spokane Community College and has set her sights on a program with Washington State University. Her goal is to be a nurse.

Like many in the community, COVID-19 is impacting Pamela’s daily life.

“My stress levels are high right now, but I know I can do it because I have people like Rene in my life that are there for me if I need it,” Pamela said. “Anything is possible—even if the hardest obstacles are in your way. There’s always going to be some way to face it and move on from it. The cool thing about it is that you learn from those obstacles and you improve as a person. I’ve taken everything that’s been a hardship for me and learned from it.”