A single mother of one, Shandy came to FFR regularly in need of food and housing assistance. Her barriers to success included a lack of adequate education, poor work history, food insecurity and housing concerns. Beyond this, she has a disability which requires regular blood transfusions, though this is not something she felt should prevent her from providing for her son. After counseling from FFR and Greenville Tech staff, she determined that working in the medical field as a professional coder would not only be rewarding, but would be a career she could succeed in despite her disability.

Shandy has completed all soft skills work in the CWF, her coursework at Greenville Tech and is now a Certified Professional Coder Apprentice. Her own doctor is so impressed with her that he is also working with her to attain employment, and she has begun the application process. Shandy is an excellent example of a person that, though fighting a disability, found a field that she could succeed in and will provide for her family. Not only is her future bright because of her hard work, but her son’s is as well.