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Terra Success Story – Linda Rapp
For Linda Rapp, her current destination has been worth the bumpy journey it took to get there. Rapp, a Sandusky resident and 2000 graduate of Terra Community College, is now the program coordinator at the Miriam House, a homeless shelter in Norwalk sponsored by Catholic Charities and the Diocese of Toledo. “I’ve been on my own for 14 years, raising my three children, working, going to school,” she said. “To look back, it was all worth it. I love my kids, my friends, my job and I love to give back to society remembering the impact people who cared had on me when I was in crisis when I was younger.” Rapp first came to Terra in 1984 and majored in law enforcement. For a variety of reasons, she didn’t finish then, but returned several years later and graduated in 2000 with an Associate of Arts in Social Work and Advocacy. She continued on with her education, earning a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Toledo in 2004. Before taking the coordinator position at the Miriam House, Rapp worked for The Job Store in Erie County, as a case manager for the Volunteers of America’s Cross Roads program in Sandusky, and for the State of Ohio’s YEP (youth empowerment program). The hats she wears now vary. “I facilitate operations of the Miriam House, a transitional housing facility in Norwalk,” she explained. “I work with homeless women and children from Huron County and surrounding areas. We teach life skills to educate and empower families to take charge of their lives and enter back into the community. “I also work at the business level assuring that things are in order with statistics for grants and attend meetings to network and provide education to the public on what our program offers.” She looks back fondly on her years at Terra. “The more one-on-one experience I received at Terra prepared me to know that I could offer the best in the field I chose,” she said. “I was never treated like a number at Terra. The teachers were down to earth and honestly cared what their students were learning. Life’s lessons are some of the best lessons and this is how my curriculum was taught to me.” Rapp has been listed in the Who’s Who in Business publication and has successfully secured grants for a computer lab at Cross Roads. Her advice for others is simple – “Never give up. The climb up the mountain is hard but the view is spectacular.” Updated 8/30/06 |
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