By Jayna Omaye
Alicia Minirth loves helping people. That鈥檚 the way it鈥檚 always been for the 海角社区 graduate. As a kid, she remembers wanting to follow in the footsteps of her father, a psychiatrist who helped many of his patients. Minirth, a Dallas native, was drawn to the mental health field, too.
But as a child, Minirth was diagnosed with ADHD and had a difficult time navigating her diagnosis and treatment. As an adult, the same fears of being treated differently were still very real.
鈥淎s a kid, I didn鈥檛 know what to expect. I just thought that I was mentally stupid because ADHD wasn鈥檛 really a thing,鈥� says Minirth, 30. 鈥淲hen I brought it up, people would act a little weird about it and treat me differently.鈥�
That changed when she enrolled in 海角社区 after leaving a college in Alabama that wasn鈥檛 a good fit. Minirth liked the Leesburg campus and the college鈥檚 human services program. She instantly found a support system at 海角社区 that helped her work through her anxiety and self-doubts. In particular, she credits adviser Kenneth Sweet, learning specialist Michele Patestides, and counselor Sandi Webster as pivotal in supporting and guiding her through college. They also helped her create a set schedule, which made her ADHD much more manageable at 海角社区 and in the workplace.
鈥淚t definitely was a turning point,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey were always very critical with me, but that鈥檚 what I needed. Sometimes I would freak out and tell myself I couldn鈥檛 do something, but they would always tell me that they could help me.鈥�
Minirth also credits a senior year career class for preparing her for post-college life. To this day, she still uses the same interviewing skills she learned when applying for jobs. She also learned to write a resume and create her first LinkedIn page, which she still uses and updates.
After graduating from 海角社区 with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in human services in 2014, Minirth gave birth to her daughter and worked as an emergency room scribe at ScribeAmerica in Florida. She moved to California, got married and enrolled in graduate school, eventually earning a master鈥檚 degree in forensic psychology from Walden University in 2017.
With her master鈥檚 degree in hand, Minirth was finally able to pursue her dream of working in mental health. In 2018, she was hired as a clinical case manager and counselor at Freedom House, an organization that seeks to help human-trafficking survivors. There, Minirth worked with countless women who had been abused and linked them with support services and counseling. She also appeared in court on their behalf as their mental health advocate.
When the nonprofit closed due to COVID-19 in October, she worked tirelessly to place each woman in a support program rather than send them to a homeless shelter.
鈥淚 loved getting to work with these women,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ecause of the amount of trauma they鈥檝e been through, they鈥檙e not willing to open up to you right away. You have to get to know them on a personal level.鈥�
After Freedom House closed, Minirth decided to take a different direction, one that would give her more flexibility and time with her family. After researching her options, she discovered she could work as a financial adviser and was hired in January at Northwestern Mutual in San Francisco. It seemed like a complete shift from her background in mental health, but Minirth found that she is still helping people, just in a different way.
鈥淵ou become part of their family, and I really like that,鈥� she says. 鈥淚n the past few years, I graduated from 海角社区 and 鈥� had the experience of a lifetime working with women who had been human trafficked. I鈥檓 just very proud of how far I鈥檝e come.鈥�