Registration for Cohort 5 is open. Go to http://capitalideahouston.org/ichoosecmw to REGISTER NOW.
Allison C. - 25 years old
Allison started Cohort 4 at 24 years old and turned 25 during Cohort 4. She’s an avid Tik Tok-er (@fakeittilyoumakeit95) and brand ambassador; an eclectic soul with a hipster vibe and this evening she’s her usually effervescent self, ready to chat and have some laughs.
Tell us a little bit about you. Who is Allison?
"I’m a very unique individual- been through a lot, done a lot. I’m finally understanding what “adulthood” means at 25. I’m very artsy, I love food. I’m still figuring things out- I don’t know everything but I like to help where I can and if I have some insight into something I like to offer my input and get feedback."
"I’d just recently moved back to the shelter due to COVID-19, but I also was struggling with my mental health and depression. I’d been struggling with that for a long time and I kept putting off taking care of myself because I was always thinking “I gotta work, I gotta work”, and for a long time that seemed to be true but I had to make a decision not to go back to work to focus on my mental and physical health. I spoke with a Career Counselor [at the shelter] and she told me about the ichoose: Career My Way program, that this helps people figure out if they want to go back to school or what kind of job you want to have, and of course she throws in “AND you get paid”. So I thought, “This sounds like a good idea” and I got in touch with Ms. Sharon. It seemed like it would be a good thing for me and it turned out to be a really good thing."
"It took me a couple days to figure things out but once I felt comfortable being myself in the group it was okay. I know I can be a bit weird or "too much" sometimes. After the first couple days once I got to know everyone it was cool. When we played the trivia game that first time it was so cool for me to shine in that area- because I absorb a lot of information but I didn’t realize how much I had stored in my memory! So it was cool to have that moment on the first day. And it was cool to see everyone getting to know each other, sharing Tik-tok handles, following each other on social media, and talking about the material with you and Ms. Sharon. This was also my first time taking a virtual class so it was a great first experience for me. There was such good chemistry with everyone in the group."
During Cohort 4 Allison was very active in participation, earning her the Cohort 4 "Dream Catcher" Award for following through on program expectations , and “Always On It” Award for being most responsive in the group chat. If you came to the Virtual Graduation Celebration you would have seen the final “versus battle” between the twins for “Trivia King”. What you didn’t see was that Allison came in 3rd place in the Cohort, answering as many questions as possible until being eliminated!
The group coaching and learning about the power of communication and being able to apply those lessons in my life and seeing results. I was like, “I should have done this forever ago!”. I think I was more open to change this time in my life. Before the ichoose: Career My Way I had personal struggles that led me to realize that I could lose the people I love if I don’t learn and change so a lot of stuff we talked about in class I know I’d heard before but this time I finally understood what it means. It was a really huge part of helping me make better decisions to help myself change what I needed to change and create a better life.
This is much harder because I really loved everything but if I have to nitpick learning about the construction apprenticeship was where I was least interested but that’s just me. If I had to do the entire experience all over again I definitely would. I really enjoyed the entire experience.
I wasn’t working and my boyfriend wasn’t working so those incentive payments helped us with bills and meals and small extra stuff that we weren’t able to get before. It was good to be able to take care of myself in that way and even do stuff for friends like pay for someone’s Uber when they needed it.
It’s an amazing opportunity to help you figure out where you want to go if you’re stuck in a rut- or even if you’re not and you just want to try something new. You have nothing to lose; you can even make some lifelong friends, and you get to have mentors who stay in your life. I’ve also noticed that you guys genuinely care about what we're thinking about making our lives better and that’s huge coming from a program like this. It’s a great thing for anyone to come into. Especially the group coaching- it’s very beneficial, even if it takes you a while to get it. I think I got a little bit of wisdom from everyone - you get nuggets of wisdom from the instructors, you get some from the guest speakers, you even get some from the other people in the group- we heard something great from everyone who came through there! So anyone who is looking for a safe space, an opportunity to grow, who’s looking for an extra push- this is something they should look into.
Allison’s chosen career pathway is Short Term Training in Microsoft Office Specialist. In successfully completing Cohort 4 she will receive a $1500 sponsorship toward training and certification through our community partner St. Michael’s Learning Academy.
We wish Allison best of luck in all her future adventures- we just know she’s going to go on to do great things in her personal journey and for the community.
Registration for Cohort 5 is open
Go to http://capitalideahouston.org/ichoosecmw to REGISTER NOW.
Virtual Mixer: September 11, 2020 at 5PM CST.
Classes start : September 14, 2020 at 5PM CST
