“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” -Dale Carnegie
When I hear the phrase “When life give you lemons, you make lemonade”, it makes me feel a certain type of way when it comes to my life and the struggles that I have overcame in the past months. Not only did I turn lemons into lemonade, but I turned it into the lemonade that you would enjoy after a nice hot summer day.
My name is Mercedes Phillips, and I am originally from Hot Springs, Arkansas. I am a single mother of 3 beautiful children ages 14, 6, and 4. I relocated to Omaha, Nebraska in 2015 after obtaining my associated degree in Health Information Management and obtaining my first healthcare position at Nebraska Methodist Health System. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to provide the best life for myself, and my children and I was tired of struggling, so I took matters into my own hands and found ways to make that happen. After a few years I took advantage of the free tuition program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and began working on my bachelor’s degree to further my education. I was offered an internship and after completing my internship I was offered a full-time position, but I had to relocate from Nebraska.
Shortly after relocating, things became difficult for my family and I and I went into a depression. I soon realized that Nebraska is where we were the happiest and I relocated back home. I do not have family here, so I turned to the homeless shelter at the Micah House for help. In the beginning I had no direction when I moved back, but I put my faith in God’s hands and began speaking the life I wanted into existence. Shortly after a month my caseworker at the shelter told me about Momentum and how Meredith helps moms like myself find employment. I began working with Meredith on my search for new employment. She gave me tips on how to ace an interview and guided me through my employment search. Meredith also referred me to recruiters and motivated me to apply for jobs that I personally did not think I would get. A recruiter contacted me in less than 2 weeks after working with Meredith and set me up with an interview for my first IT position outside of healthcare. I second guessed myself and my skills because I only worked in healthcare. Meredith helped me understand what transferrable skills were, and after mentioning my skills in the interview I was offered a full-time position in IT! Shortly after I was able to find housing and move out of the shelter with my children!
I want to show other single moms that even though you maybe doing things on your own that there are ways to better yourself and genuine people who are in your corner to help you along the way. You have to get up and understand that your struggles are temporary and with hard work and dedication, you can create the life that you want for yourself.