We have a very exciting success story to share! One of our Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries alumni, Dari, has recently graduated from college with a degree in IT-Computer Networking.
Dari said she was drawn to IT because of the challenge it presents. “Every time something breaks, you learn more about the system, in order to figure out why the pieces aren’t working together,” she shared.
In the moment of her graduation, Dari felt disbelief. Once the reality set in, however, she described feeling deep relief.
“It’s like your brain catches up with you, and it’s not running 100 miles per hour anymore,” Dari said. “You realize that you can stop and relax.”
Dari graduated from Harrisburg High School in 2008. She was living in the Zimmer Home with Jacob and Amy Kingery. After graduation, she went to college, but she totaled her car when she hit a deer. She began working to pay for a car, and could not get ahead on payments.
Dari moved to Chicago, but she kept in touch with Amy over the years.
“Amy has always been there for me,” she said. “When you’re in foster care, you move around, and you don’t learn how to maintain relationships. Amy has always been persistent and patient with reaching out and staying up to date with me.”
After moving back to Missouri, Dari received regular texts and calls from Amy to say hi and give encouragement.
“It felt nice knowing there was somebody thinking about you and rooting for you,” she said.
Around this time, Dari started thinking about what the future held. “I never really stopped to think about what I wanted,” she shared. “Only what I was able to find.”
She was drawn to computer programming because she loves to travel, and there were a lot of opportunities for remote work within that industry. Additionally, she had taken HTML coursework at Harrisburg High School.
“Once I figured out what area I wanted to work in, it was just a matter of figuring out how I needed to get there.”
Dari was able to find grants and financial aid through Missouri Fast Track, a program that incentivizes students to enter fields that have a high demand for employees. She also received a scholarship through Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries supporters. She is currently working for a national broadcasting company.
“Right now, my goal is to learn more about what I am doing at work, and take time to focus more on the people in my life,” Dari said. “I also want to find out ways I can help and support people, the way I have been supported.”
She also said she is open to returning to school one day, to learn more in-depth information about specific technologies, or possibly pursue engineering. She said one of the biggest lessons she has learned is that it is okay to accept help.
“I am notoriously independent, and stubbornly so,” she said. “Getting help doesn’t mean I am incapable or failing, it just means I might be able to reach my goals faster. I could not have gotten here without Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries.”
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