Helen Marie Hicks, 60
Helen Hicks came to Experience Works feeling her life had hit rock bottom. Mrs. Hicks had lost her small business and her only source of income, lost her father, lost her husband, and suffered a debilitating stroke that weakened her right side and left her nearly deaf. Whatever skills she had were not applicable to any job she could find or she felt she could handle. She was in the depths of depression.
Experience Works staff helped Mrs. Hicks obtain assistance for her depression and assigned her to train at the Oklahoma Department of Human Services to update her clerical skills. After a short time, with her health and skills beginning to improve, she suffered another setback when her only grandchild died in a tragic accident. She was a little discouraged about her future, but her Experience Works Employment and Training Assistant was confident that Mrs. Hicks would be able to find employment if she could learn up-to-date computer skills. Experience Works staff found the perfect solution with an assignment to the Kiamichi Technology Center. The center offers a variety of computer classes and provides work experience in many clerical functions. With the help of a Pell grant to pay for the classroom training, this assignment enabled her to dramatically improve her computer skills and apply those skills through on-the-job training at various functions in the center when she was not attending classes.
The combination helped Mrs. Hicks excel throughout her two-year training program. She earned a certificate of business and information technology, became a member of the National Technology Honor Society, was on the honor role at the training center, became a member and chaplain of the Business Professionals of America (BPA), and was certified in a variety of computer programs including Microsoft Excel. Her administrative support team was first place winner in a BPA competition and was awarded a trip to New York to compete at the national level.
In July she started a full-time job as the office manager of the Kiamichi Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center. In spite of moving on to a job and the start of a new career, Mrs. Hicks has developed many interests outside of her work. She created a support group for women called “Women Set Free” and helped her local humane society raise funds to build a shelter and she remains on their board.
She says, “Experience Works gave me back my life.” Mrs. Hicks life was changed with a hand up from Experience Works, and her own tremendous hard work and perseverance.
