When Debbie Zenga and Michelle Macdonald graduated from the Alliant University Community Academy, it was another important step in their long journeys to recovery.
Their experiences with mental health issues have become an asset instead of the burden one would expect as they continue to leap over hurdles and turn the lessons they have learned into help for others.
Through the Mental Health Services Act, sometimes referred to as the “Millionaire’s Tax,” the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency funds the academy program administered by Alliant International University. The students all come to the program with different levels of education and work experience; but all have personal life experiences with mental illness and many also have a family member affected by mental illness.
“I now see that life experience as an asset, not a barrier,” said Zenga. “Through my experience in this program, I now realize that I have the ability to make a positive impact in the public mental health field and have come away with many of the needed skills to begin this work.”
The graduating class was the first ever for the Academy. Zenga, Macdonald and six fellow students completed a combined total of 34 core classes totaling more than 1,300 classroom hours.
“I am proud to be in the first graduating class for the Community Academy program,” said Zenga. “I was completing my BA in Psychology and sought out the program for the additional support and training.”
Students also attend community-based mental health trainings through the program’s partnering agencies – the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Recovery Innovations, and the Family and Youth Roundtable.
“I have accomplished so much, and not just academically but socially, personally and spiritually as well,” said Macdonald. “The Academy gave me a voice and provided a vehicle for my path.
“It gave me hope, but truly, because of my participation in the program, I have found my purpose; I have regained a meaningful career,” she said. “I finally feel like ‘I’m back’ and I learned to let go of fear, to reach out, to communicate, to participate, to be involved, and to make a difference.”
Half of the graduating students have already gained either full or half-time employment in the mental health field, and the majority of the remaining students have gained part-time employment.
“I have now been hired on to become the Community Academy’s outreach and education provider – my first paid position on the field of public mental health,” said Zenga. “I recently applied for graduate school and was accepted into a PhD program in Psychology at Alliant.
“I am positive that the additional work experience and training gave me an edge up in the graduate school application process,” she added. “I have gained confidence and have learned to trust my abilities.”
The Community Academy has taken on 18 students to date and will bring in 12 new students in November.
