Jeremy - Project Paycheck
“The Weingart Center has been the best experience of all the rehabs that I’ve been in because it helped me pull myself out of the mess I created,” says Jeremy.
Dreams of becoming a doctor were within reach for Jeremy after he earned his BS in neuroscience from UCLA. As a young college graduate, it seemed Jeremy was on the fast train towards a successful career – that is, until his bright future began to derail when his application to medical school was denied. Idle hands proved true as Jeremy remembers, “Not getting into a medical program gave me ‘free time’ and it affected my focus. I had only committed to one thing…” This crushing setback, combined with the lack of structure with which he was accustomed, was the beginning of a long and very difficult journey for Jeremy.
Not long after college, Jeremy spent several years with a friend who was chronically depressed and addicted, which also wore on Jeremy. “Dealing with an addict caused me a lot of stress,” recounts Jeremy, “and a lot of resentment.” Ironically, trying drugs to better understand his friend’s situation, Jeremy ultimately became addicted himself. Jeremy spent the next eight years repeating a vicious cycle of being employed, being unemployed, getting arrested, going to rehab and trying to get clean and sober. “I never thought I would be the type to fall into that pattern,” recalls Jeremy. “I couldn’t believe I was a college graduate and yet I was living in my car, in shady hotels or in jail. The way you are treated in jail was a shock, and it left me very bitter.”
Throughout this dark period in his life Jeremy was often court-ordered to go to rehab, but as many addicts learn, three months is not nearly long enough to straighten out a life that had been spiraling out of control for so long. Fortunately, a referral from his last rehab center led Jeremy to the Weingart Center which uniquely addressed his entire set of challenges rather than solely focusing on his substance abuse as so many rehabs had done in the past.
During his eight months at the Weingart Center, Jeremy’s case manager discussed his eligibility for disability, which, when approved, granted him some much needed income. The Weingart Center helped Jeremy get his felonies expunged, and also offered him medical treatment from the Center for Community Health, which is located in the Weingart Center campus. He took advantage of the Weingart Center’s interview workshops, and his case manager helped him secure income-based, permanent housing when he was ready to transition out on his own.
Perhaps most significantly, Jeremy experienced an attitude shift while he was at the Weingart Center. “When I started receiving help and a caring attitude, it made me grateful and less bitter,” says Jeremy. “The Weingart Center has been the best experience of all the rehabs that I’ve been in because it helped me pull myself out of the mess I created.”
With this new lease on life, Jeremy is determined to not let his neuroscience degree go to waste. He is currently in the process of becoming a high school biology teacher by utilizing the LAUSD’s free district internship program for science, math and special ed which allows individuals to begin teaching as they are getting credentialed. “I feel like I can really reach the kids who may be struggling in life,” says Jeremy. “I think they will be able to relate to me.”
With so much going for him, Jeremy’s future is bright. Besides actively seeking a teaching position, Jeremy is also rekindling old friendships with some of his former classmates, and is even planning his 20th reunion. A far cry indeed from living in his car, but with his strong will and a little help from his friends at the Weingart Center, Jeremy isn’t just riding that train to success - he’s driving it.
