Jacque M.
Drugs were a norm in my home and were used in front of our family daily. When I was 11, I stole drugs from my mom and by the age of 12 I was using them regularly. My home life was so bad I could not stay there anymore. With no other options, I ran away and began a life of homelessness at 12 years old. I lived on the streets, sleeping by the railroad tracks, behind dumpsters, and in empty houses wherever I could. Using drugs became the only constant in my life. I began stealing just to get by. When the opportunity to sell drugs presented itself, I took it.
Fast forward 10 years later.
At the age of 22, my journey of theft and drug dealing led me to prison. Upon release, I made an attempt to get sober again. Having little resources and the inability to connect with new people, I began hanging out with people from my past. It was familiar and so easy to go back to that life. As anyone can predict, everything spiraled out of control again.
Drugs and dysfunction. The only thing I knew. The only thing that felt normal. Incarceration also became something that felt normal.
Skipping to the present day, I have served two prison sentences. I have spent at least three years in Oklahoma County Jail, Canadian County Jail, and Pottawatomie County Jail. Collectively, I’ve spent about seven years of my life incarcerated.
When I had the opportunity to transfer to a work release facility, I was able to take the Empower Program through TEEM. Before I went there, I knew what I wanted to accomplish once I was released, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it. I had failed so many times after release that I did not feel confident that I could accomplish my goals.
I had so many felonies on my record that I knew getting a place to rent to me or to hire me for that matter was going to be difficult. How could others believe in me when I didn’t even believe in myself? One of my biggest takeaways from the Empower Program was how the staff made me feel. In just two weeks, my perspective on my situation had turned from despair to hope.
The staff and instructors helped me realize that I was someone who still had a lot to offer and that if I worked at it, I could accomplish whatever I set my mind to. They planted the seed in me that I had potential.
I was inspired by the guest speakers who presented at Empower. They were incarcerated just like me but turned their life around. I knew that if others could lead a better life and accomplish their dreams, I could do the same.
Finally, it sunk in– I can be a good person. My past does not have to define me.
In May of 2021, the staff at TEEM helped me get my first job which provided me the opportunity to work while I was still incarcerated. In October 2021, I was released from prison and quickly promoted to Shift Lead at my job. I never could have dreamed, planned, or imagined that I would have the ability to hold a steady job let alone promote within the company.
Since then, I have been promoted to Assistant Manager at Goodwill. There is nothing I feel like I can’t accomplish anymore. I know I have value and my past is not who I am. I am no longer an addict or a thief. I am now a person that friends, family, and coworkers can trust and look up to.
