Automotive Students Finds Community to Maintain Sobriety
Angelina Sneed had several goals when she first enrolled in the Automotive Technician program at UEI College in Mesa. One goal was to get a job in the automotive field, but her main goal was to engage her mind and achieve sobriety.
“I was in an active addiction and homeless before coming to UEI,” she said. “When I signed up, my goal was to get sober while going to school.”
Angelina admits her life was not easy growing up. She experienced some trauma while going to high school and after graduation, she found herself lost in addiction. When she was kicked out of her home, it was the wake up call she needed to change.
“It was more than drugs,” she said. “I just didn’t want to think about things anymore. It was something I used to numb the pain. When they told me to leave, I didn’t want to be out on the streets. Having the feeling of being on the streets for even a couple hours, I didn’t like it.”
Angelina was searching for an auto body technician program when she discovered UEI. The program called to her.
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“Me choosing UEI has been the best decision I’ve made in so long, or maybe even ever,” she said. “I’ve never taken school seriously until now. It felt peaceful. There was a lot of good energy. You can just tell right off the bat that I was going to get a lot of positivity and great education altogether.”
Right away Angelina made a commitment to never miss a day of class and it’s something she has stuck to, even when things in her personal life were difficult.
“What has kept me motivated is my classmates and my instructor,” she said. “They make sure that I’m good, even outside of school. I’ve never had people like that before. Gradually, them doing this every day helped me want to go to school and see my friends and want to learn with them too. Having good people around me has helped me a lot. It’s put me in a great mindset.”
Through the course of the program Angelina has grown in many ways.
“I’ve never done anything mechanical before,” she said. “Learning how to do the basics is incredible to me. I used to think it was so hard but it’s not. It can be frustrating, but I love it! It worked out perfectly for me. It was exactly what I was looking for. I couldn’t see that unless I did it. The best part was making friends and learning how to communicate with other people and be in groups. I’ve become so much more social. I found myself there. A lot has changed in myself and my maturity just by being there.”
“My life has changed to be ten times better,” she said. “A year ago, I would react to things I didn’t need to react to. I had anger issues. I didn’t know how to control my emotions or anxiety. I didn’t know how to speak to people. I let my emotions get the best of me. Now I’m the opposite of that. I don’t let the small things bother me. I’m happy. I’ve learned how to control my emotions and communicate effectively and help other people understand me. I’m so much happier today than I was a year ago.”
Angelina knows she has a lot of healing left to do, but going back to school, gaining new skills and building a community, has helped her achieve her goals.
“The experience is so amazing,” she said. “Everybody who comes into UEI is successful because there are so many positive and great energy around. All the teachers are amazing at teaching. The way we learn, I can’t even explain it. I’ve never had teachers who teach like these teachers. They really care about their students, and I love that. I’ve never been to a school where they really care about their students.”
