It has been just over 11 years since I left New Haven. In the time since I left, I moved out on my own, graduated from college with my Bachelor of Child and Youth Care (BCYC) in 2017, and completed my Master of Arts in Critical Disability Studies in 2019. I got a job as a job coach in November 2018 working with high school students who have disabilities; after that program ended I was re-hired with the same organization and have been working as a facilitator in a youth pre-employment program. My relationship with my mom has never been better and I am grateful to New Haven for setting the foundation to allow me to reach this point in my life.