Our Stories

James began his career at PRIDE Industries in December 2021 as a job coach. He is instrumental in guiding clients through daily tasks for their jobs and helps them understand the tasks assigned to clients during their workdays. James provides support to a group of clients who are employed at Thunder Valley and acts as a liaison for the clients and the employer.

Nancy has had a robust career that enabled her to experience and serve people from all walks of life. She began her education with a Bachelor’s in journalism and minored in criminal justice. Nancy continued her education with a Master’s from Arizona State University in criminal justice. During the time she studied, Nancy also served as an intern parole agent where she learned about prisoner safety and security, along with how to handle dangerous situations. She enjoyed the shadowing opportunity it provided her and piqued her interest to continue.

Matthew discovered his passion for writing in 2013 while in high school after participating in a writing contest. In three days, he wrote 11 pages and received an A+ for his work and found something that makes him happy to do. Matthew is fascinated by history, and science fiction (sci-fi) and will frequently write about historical events in a fiction-based story.

Laraine first became a foster parent in 2010 after taking in two distantly related family members, Sophia, and Brent. She and her husband, Orlando, would formally adopt them on August 17, 2010, seven days after welcoming the birth of their firstborn son on August 10. Although they were excited and happy to bring in their two adopted children into the family, they quickly realized they would having a learning curve after discovering that both Sophia and Brent had developmental disabilities.

At 16 years old, Melinda was in a car accident and hospitalized. She was pronounced brain dead and conversations were initiated about what the next steps were as she was on life support. All seemed hopeless and her family prepared to grieve. However, Melinda’s sister had caught out of the corner of her eye Melinda’s hand moving. Startled and curious, the sister grabbed Melinda’s hand and “listened.” Melinda was finger spelling “hurt” onto the palm of her sister’s hand over and over.

Michael is the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Specialist at Alta California Regional Center. He began the position in February 2024, but he has a lifetime of experience as a member of the deaf community. He recognizes the value of having a deaf person available to deaf and hard of hearing clients because he understands the unique cultural components of the community.

Maria began at Alta California Regional Center in 2020, right before the start of the pandemic. She has experience working with young children, and prior to her transition to a Service Coordinator at the regional center, she worked in Emergency Response at Child Protective Services. Her career has been built on helping others and providing them the space to feel comfortable in seeking help.

Ye has worked as a Service Coordinator at Alta California Regional Center for over a year. As a bilingual Service Coordinator, she can communicate with Mandarin speaking clients to help them better understand services. She enjoys working at ACRC because of the supportive team and overall positive working environment, along with helping the families and clients on her caseload.

Asya is a highly educated person who has obtained multiple degrees including an MBA, in Healthcare Administration, Bachelor’s in Science, and Associates in Arts. She intended to become a nurse while she was studying but found that life took her on the path of entrepreneurship with the goal in mind to help people. While living in Chicago, Asya started a cleaning company, and a personal Assistant company with a goal to hire those in need of employment facing homelessness, and home aids who support the elderly in their homes.