Our Stories

Overview

Our Clients, Families and Staff tell the rest of the story.

If you are a client or family member of a client, and are interested in sharing your story, please reach out to your Service Coordinator. No achievement is too small, and we would love to celebrate you!

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Tracy

Honorary Flight Attendant

If there is a person who is meant to be in the sky, it is Tracy. Her kind heart and loving personality make peoples’ hearts soar. Tracy is an honorary flight attendant and enjoys working for Southwest. She has made many friends and constantly seeks new experiences to learn and grow from.

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Samiyah

Overcoming Difficulties

One of the most difficult things to do is overcome adversity and maintain a positive outlook on life. Samiyah, her siblings and her mother, Syretta, did that thanks to having each other and having the help of their Service Coordinator.

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Andre

Being the Representation

Andre is a welcoming person who believes the best way to make a positive change is  through example. He always sees the good in people and has built a wonderful life for himself. Andre enjoys working, enjoying time with his two dogs, and hanging out with friends.

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Felicia

Service Coordinator

Felicia began her career 15 years ago, starting with an Independent Living Services  (ILS) vendor, Lighthouse Living Services. She later transitioned to Elk Grove Adult Community Training (EGACT) and taught in classrooms for day programs. After building her experience with these vendors, she started at Alta California Regional Center (ACRC) in 2020.

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Noe

Service Coordinator

Noe began his career in social work in 2015 working in Supported Living Service (SLS), Independent Living Services (ILS) and Day programs. For most of his career, he has worked in Personal Attendant, SLS, Residential, hospice settings, Respite, ABA and nursing care homes Intermediate Care Facility. Noe has been a natural caregiver since he was a child caring for his infant brother, and he felt compelled to continue that caregiving as an adult. Now, he works at Alta California Regional Center as a Service Coordinator.

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Long

Long started his career in social work in 2015 at Hmong Lifted Underserved Barrier. During his time there, he focused on encouraging Hmong families to get healthcare screenings and access generic resources. Often, he was tasked to outreach to the community in South Sacramento.

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Mai Gee

Cultural Diversity Specialist

Mai Gee has 10 years of social work experience and initially started her journey as amental health counselor. In 2018, she transitioned to Alta California Regional center and dived into her work as a Service Coordinator in a children’s unit. Her experience would continue to grow as she moved into a role as an Intake Specialist where she helped families navigate and complete the intake process.

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How One Family Navigated a Successful Transition During a Challenging Time

Shared by the Association of Regional Center Agencies

Jimmy, a cheerful and adventurous 15-year-old with autism, had a strong bond with his father, Jim. When Jim, a children’s book author and English as a Second Language teacher, passed away in a tragic car accident in 2021, Jimmy and his mother, Beatriz, were left in a state of uncertainty and hesitation about how to move forward with the developmental disabilities services system to adjust their blend of services to meet Jimmy’s unique needs.

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Kenisha

Client Services Manager

Kenisha is a veteran and has 15 years of social work experience. She first fell in love with social work when she attended an Individual Education Program (IEP) meeting for her brother, a client of the regional center, as a sophomore in college. During the meeting, she was impressed with the Service Coordinator and how she advocated for Kenisha’s brother. Her interest was peaked, and she embarked on entering the service delivery system. 

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Shamir

Service Coordinator

Shamir has been employed with Alta California Regional Center for 6 months, but has provided social care throughout his life. Caring for the community is a big part of his heritage. As a member of the Choctaw tribe, providing healing both medically and spiritually has been fundamental in his upbringing.  

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Abby

Dancer and Model Citizen

Abby is a client of the regional center and an accomplished dancer. She is very involved in the Pow Wow arena and performed in the Nutcracker as an angel. Abby is an enrolled member of the 3 affiliated tribes Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara. She is an ambassador for her people and will share her culture by taking time to visit her cousins’ schools and educating the students on her heritage. She enjoys sharing stories, dancing and singing.

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Will

Proud Member of the Yurok Tribe

Will is a proud card-carrying Native American of Yurok, a northern California tribe and is a client of Alta California Regional Center. He has visited the reservation and enjoys interacting with his community. His tribe is known for being experts at fishing and were the first people to build canoes for both fresh and salt water. They also are creative basket weavers, some of which were featured in an exhibit at the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco.  

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Luis

Service Coordinator

Luis began his career in social work with Passport to Learning in 2019. His experience in hospitality and sales gave him expert skills in communication and he learned how to interact with people of different backgrounds and needs. But he knew he wanted to make a change in his career that would allow him to help others and make a positive impact. Initially he dreamed of becoming a probation officer for youth. Luis found the profession of social work aligned with his goals and led him to a job with Alta California Regional Center.

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Emily

Service Coordinator

Emily is a Service Coordinator for Early Intervention, with 20 years of social work experience. She has primarily worked with youth, starting off her career with providing services for emotionally disturbed children. She moved on to child action, which provided subsidized child care for low income families. Eventually, she would find her way to Alta California Regional Center (ACRC) in the Early Intervention unit.

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John

Special Olympics Swimmer and Bowler

John is a Special Olympic gold medal winner who takes immense joy and pride in being a swimmer. However, he didn’t learn about his interest in swimming until high school. Before this interest blossomed, he struggled with behavioral issues and had no outlet to allow his personality to flourish.

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Ben (also known as Seth)

Living independently!

Ben (also known as Seth) lives a well-rounded  life where he enjoys his work, his hobbies, and feels pride for his accomplishments. He wanted to live an independent  life and has achieved that with  education and persistence. In addition  to his professional life, Ben is somewhat an adrenaline  junkie and enjoys chasing the thrill rollercoasters provide.

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Peggy

Mom and Self-Advocate

Peggy is a single mom on a mission to improve her life and her children’s lives. She has overcome tremendous difficulties, from unsafe relationships to financial turmoil. Despite it all, she has shown with perseverance, she can achieve her goals.

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Reyva

Advocate and Parent

Reyva is soon to be a graduate of Sacramento State with a Bachelor’s degree in Social  Work, a mother and an advocate for herself and for her daughters. Despite a tumultuous upbringing and becoming disabled at the age of 4 months, Reyva always felt motivated to prove to herself that she is capable and can achieve all of her goals. Now, she is excited to begin her career and be a role model for herself and for others.

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Crystal

Filmmaker and Director

Crystal realized she had an interest in film early on. In high school, she went to the Sacramento Film Festival and fell in love with filmmaking. She would rent books on screenwriting and teach herself how to write for movies. She always had an active imagination, and she puts it to use through her writing.

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Xavier

Thriving and Growing

When Xavier’s parents, Samantha and Thomas, received his post-natal diagnosis of Down Syndrome, they were worried. The initial expectations every parent has for their child melted away. The primary concern was Xavier’s  health; he was born 3 weeks early and was sent to the NIC-U  to be provided early care.