SAN ANTONIO – Yvonne Andrews is hoping to make a difference in the world. Andrews is a mother of four who hasn’t had the easiest life but was always determined to make the best of it.
As a teenager, Andrews became pregnant with her first child and had to drop out of high school. She received her G.E.D., but never went to school again until this past year. During her education gap, Andrews worked multiple jobs and had three more children.
Andrews knew she needed a stable job to support her kids and she had a desire to help others in the community, so she decided it was time to go back to school.
“When I grew up on the East Side of town, I was seeing, like, a lot of people didn’t have resources or it was just seeing a lot of people struggling,” Andrews said. “So I decided, ‘Hey, what can I do to kind of help my community?”
Andrews decided the best way to help was by getting her Community Healthcare Worker (CHW) Certificate from Northwest Vista College.
The 16-week program helps Andrews become a community advocate for health, immunizations, violence and more.
“I want to give back,” Andrews said. “I want to be able to help struggling mothers, or young teens, who are out here so that’s what made me get into it.”
Andrews had the opportunity to attend Northwest Vista College thanks to Opportunity Home.
In 2020, Andrews lost her job due to COVID-19. She had been on the waiting list for Opportunity Home and was accepted into the Family Self-Sufficiency Program after losing her job.
She was also accepted into the Ready to Work Program. Andrews had a roof over her head, a job and the opportunity to attend school.
Andrews began working at Opportunity Home as a Resident Apprentice on the digital side. After a few months, she was promoted to Digital Ambassador.
“We were teaching computer classes to residents who didn’t have the skills, so that way they can get skills to either work at home or learn how to do their resume,” Andrews said.
On top of working multiple jobs and going to school, Andrews still has one child at home.
“The hardest thing was managing two jobs. My son’s a full-time basketball player, so it was two jobs, school and him,” Andrews said.
It was a struggle to balance all of her responsibilities, but after 16 weeks in the CHW program, Andrews graduated. She hopes she can be an inspiration for her son and others.
“Don’t give up. Ask questions. I ask questions every day,” said Andrews.
Looking forward, Andrews will continue attending Northwest Vista College. She will work to get her Associate Applied Science degree in the fall.