Lacey Risley

I am twenty-nine years old and one of six kids. I was raised in a broken home where I was abused as well as neglected. My father sold drugs and lived off of the system as well as my stepmother who played a huge role in a lot of the horrid abuse as well as the abuse of drugs. My siblings and I were placed in foster care, when I had told my school counselor about the abuse that was happening at home. It was discovered originally by one of my teachers who had noticed the bruising on my body and reported it. We were in the system for about two years. They ended up getting us back by doing what they were asked to do by the court. It was downhill from there. My dad decided he did not want me anymore and would make up lies to have me locked away in behavioral institutions. He did it so he would not have to care for me anymore, one less responsibility. I would spend the little freedom I had when I would get out of those institutions, leaving off where those closest to me had started and that was destroying myself, I would use drugs and repeatedly set myself up for failure. I had given up and succumbed to the pain I had endured throughout my life. After years of bad choices and self-neglect I decided enough was enough. I did not want to be broken any more, I did not want to continue inflicting the same pain on myself I had allowed others to inflict on me throughout my life. I wanted something more for myself. I deserved more. I made the decision to build myself up starting with my faith and changing my thought process. Which then led me to wanting to be better educated to the point of craving success. I then started looking into adult high schools. That is when I had discovered The Excel Center Decatur. I made the choice to enroll which then led me to begin my journey of success. Starting the program with not a single credit. I had to start from the beginning and work my way up. I had also enrolled into classes for my CPHT as well. I did not believe I had the potential or that I was even capable of passing my classes, let alone the national exam. I proved myself wrong. I did it with hard work, dedication and the support from my teacher Ms.Katie. I would also set a goal considered to be Impossible to some including the director and counselors at The Excel Center. It was not that they thought I was not capable of doing it, it was only because it had never been done in the history of their program. I proved the impossible to be possible and graduated in two terms with a 3.6 GPA along with my CPHT certification. I graduated in June 2020. I got a job November 29 2020 working at Amazons Pharmacy. I was one of the first to start working there as a certified pharmacy technician. I continue to work there as of 1-25-2022. One of the best decisions I made. I love my job and am finally set in my career. I started from $16.50 an hour and have worked my way up to almost $20.00 an hour. Nothing is impossible. Only you have control over your success. Let your pain or your past be the drive for your success. If I can conquer and overcome so can you.