When LaShay talks about the journey that brought her to where she is today, she doesn’t describe it as easy.
“It took a while to get here,” she said. “It’s been a struggle.”
LaShay became pregnant at 16 and gave birth to her son at 17. After graduating from high school, she moved into Warren Village, a transitional housing program for single parents, where she lived for two years before moving into subsidized housing.
“I graduated high school and then the same year I graduated, I moved into transitional housing,” she said.
Over the next several years, LaShay worked full time while raising her son. She earned her Certified Nursing Assistant certification, followed by her Medical Assistant certification, and eventually spent seven years working as a medical assistant at a hematology and oncology clinic.
“I loved my job. I loved my coworkers. I loved the patients. It was a really tough decision leaving my job.”
Still, she knew she wanted to continue growing.
“I wanted to make more money,” she said. “I was just like, ‘I’m going to go back to school.'”
While continuing to work full time, LaShay completed the prerequisite courses required to apply for the radiologic technology program at the Community College of Denver. After being accepted into the highly competitive program, she made the difficult decision to leave her job and become a full-time student.
That transition meant giving up a steady paycheck and employer-provided health insurance. Instead, she found herself relying on TANF, SNAP, and Medicaid while completing her education.
“Coming from being able to have medical insurance for me and my son, being able to provide food and everything for us, to going to depend on government assistance, it was a really, really tough transition.”
It was through the Community College of Denver’s student resources that she first learned about SparkHope Automotive.
“They just had some information on their website, and one of their resources was automotive assistance. I clicked on the link and it brought me to your guys’ webpage.”
“I needed new tires, an oil change, I had a crack in the windshield, and I needed my brakes done.”
As her program progressed, however, she began driving to clinical rotations throughout the Denver metro area, including University of Colorado Hospital, Children’s Hospital Colorado, and National Jewish Health. Reliable transportation quickly became essential.
“If I didn’t have transportation, I would have to take the bus or several buses or Uber. When you’re not working and you don’t have an income, those are not options.”
“You get $400 a month to survive off of, and you don’t want to take that $400 and use $20 to Uber to your clinical site and another $20 to come back home.”
Halfway through the program, her vehicle developed more serious mechanical problems.
SparkHope diagnosed the issue, repaired her vehicle, and helped her stay on track while classmates gave her rides to clinicals during the repair.
“It was really nice because I had support all around me.”
For LaShay, the biggest difference wasn’t simply having the car repaired.
“I was having a car problem, but it wasn’t a problem,” she said. “It was like, ‘I’m getting my car repaired.’ My car is in the shop. It felt good to say something was being done.”
“When you don’t have a mechanic and you don’t have a way of getting the car to the mechanic, or you don’t have a plan, it makes it a lot harder, especially as a single mom.”
LaShay didn’t let the stress of unreliable transportation get her down because she knew how much she could trust the SparkHope team.
“I have never felt uncomfortable with what they’re telling me. I trust them. I know what they’re saying is accurate.”
“As a single mom, and somebody who [doesn’t know alot] when it comes to car things, it has been the biggest blessing to be part of this program.”
Eventually, the vehicle reached a point where it no longer made sense to continue repairing it. Between previous collision damage and ongoing mechanical issues, LaShay and the SparkHope team decided “It was just time to let the car go.”
SparkHope helped place her into another vehicle.
“It was the idea of having reliable transportation,” she said. “I knew this car coming from SparkHope, everything was going to be well checked out. The brakes, everything was going to be good. I didn’t have to worry about car issues.”
While her transportation needs were changing, LaShay continued moving forward professionally.
She graduated from the radiologic technology program, passed her X-ray registry, completed additional mammography training, passed her mammography registry, and now works full time as a mammographer.
“I’ve just been working full time as a mammographer.”
Today, her son is 16 years old.
“He plays rugby. He runs track right now. He’s played football. He plays basketball. I’m more of a sports mom.”
When asked what advice she would give another parent, LaShay didn’t talk about careers or degrees.
Instead, she talked about time.
“I tell everybody to cherish the moments when they’re little. Every first, every milestone, because it goes so, so fast.”
“One minute they’re going to want to be sleeping in your arms, and the next minute they’re not even going to want to hug you.”
Although her circumstances have changed, LaShay says one thing has remained constant throughout her experience with SparkHope: the people.
She spoke especially highly of Client Services Manager Sabrina, who kept her informed during repairs, worked around her schedule, and helped ease the stress that comes with unexpected car trouble.
“It is a tough situation to be in, and it’s vulnerable, but she makes me feel okay.”
“‘You’re going to be okay. It’s going to be okay. We’re going to figure it out.’ She puts me at ease.”
When asked what she would tell another mother facing transportation challenges, her answer came without hesitation.
“Do it. Don’t second guess it.”
“The program is very trustworthy. They go above and beyond for their clients.”
For LaShay, reliable transportation has meant one less obstacle while pursuing her education, building her career, and continuing to provide for her son. Looking back, she’s grateful for the support she received and hopeful that other mothers will take the same step when they need help.
“Just do it.”
