Jessicah

Jessicah was inspired by her mother at a young age to have a career that would be impactful and helpful for others. Whenever there was a crisis or family issue, she would watch and hear her mother diffuse the situation and comfort those involved, helping them all feel safe. Jessicah knew she wanted to emulate that, and so in 2011, she pursued an associate’s degree in psychology from Sierra College. She would continue her education at California State University, Sacramento, by getting a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2014.

In her goal to work in a career that was impactful, Jessicah began at Southside Unlimited in 2013 working in behavioral management for adults with disabilities with significant behavioral concerns. The goal was to help her clients integrate into the community through volunteer work and through supporting them in helping manage their behavioral concerns. During her time there, Jessicah participated in an Individual Program Plan (IPP) meeting and talked with a Service Coordinator from Alta California Regional Center (ACRC). She was interested in case management because she liked the idea of being a part of a client’s life in all stages, and not just in the limited time she could spend with them at Southside Unlimited.

Jessicah decided to apply to ACRC, and it wasn’t until her sixth application that she was noticed. She knew she needed to build experience working with the disabled community, and through perseverance, she was hired in August 2015 at the regional center.

She began her position as a Service Coordinator for Adult Services and has been serving the same clients and families for nine years. Jessicah enjoys the great working relationships she built with her clients and seeing them grow and progress in their goals. One client initially would not let Jessicah into his home and would only have phone conversations with her because he had a general mistrust of people. But through time and perseverance, Jessicah gained his trust and helped him establish a support system that he feels comfortable with. Now, he allows her to enter his home and is candid in their discussions.

As a mother to a four-year-old, Jessicah values family or other close-knit circles of support, and she applies that to the clients she serves. She will actively help a client build a support system if they don’t have one and shows them the value of having multiple people to lean on. Jessicah feels happy and accomplished with where she is in her career and is glad to continue helping and service clients and their families.