Human Services Graduate Aligns Passion with Career Goals

April 29, 2020 – Rebecca Sparks of Hamlet has always been passionate about helping people, but only recently has she turned that passion into a career.

Sparks works at the Linden Lodge Foundation, a residential home in Pinehurst for adults suffering from severe and persistent mental illness. She is part of a team who helps these individuals successfully maintain psychiatric stability and assist, if possible, with meaningful employment, volunteerism in the local community, and the pursuit of educational opportunities.

“I struggled for a long time to find what I was passionate about that would make me money,” Sparks said. “I love helping people. I’ve been doing it my whole life, but I never got paid for it.”

Sparks finally aligned passion with career when she enrolled in the Human Services Technology program at Richmond Community College in 2013.

“Human Services is a broad field but ultimately, it’s about helping people. The instructors at RichmondCC helped me gain confidence in skills I already had plus learn skills I didn’t even know I needed,” Sparks said. 

Finding the Right Major

Sparks dropped out of traditional high school when she was 17 and completed her education through RichmondCC’s Adult High School diploma program.

“I got married super young and started a family,” Sparks said. “My husband was in the military so we moved around a good bit.”

Sparks worked odd jobs but nothing that was meant to be long lasting. When they moved back to Richmond County, she enrolled at RichmondCC hoping to quickly gain a skill set that would help her get a good paying job.

“However, I would start and quit. I couldn’t seem to find the right major, and then I learned about the Human Services program,” she said.

Supportive Learning Environment

Sparks was juggling school, family and a side job while earning her degree, but she had supportive instructors who understood those challenges.

“Both Amanda Faulk and Joni Thomas, my Human Services instructors, made a big impact on my education. They both facilitated a positive and authentic working relationship,” she said. “I knew they had my back if I needed anything. Knowing that you have someone in your corner can sometimes be all you need to make you work a little harder.”

Sparks was also a member of the Human Services Club, which allowed her to make connections with other students and network with potential employers.

“I also took advantage of financial aid. It would not have been possible for me to go to college without financial aid,” she said. “Overall, my time at RichmondCC was pretty seamless from start to finish.”

Achieving Goals

Sparks earned her associate degree in Human Services Technology in May 2015. During her final semester, she completed her work-based learning experience at the Hive, a recreational center in Rockingham. After she graduated, she opened a gourmet coffee shop in the front part of the Hive. The Nectar Coffee Shop flourished, but after two years, Sparks sold the business and decided it was time to find work in the human services field.

Sparks started as a caretaker at Linden Lodge in 2017, but she has since been moved into an executive support staff position.

“Receiving my degree in Human Services has allowed me the opportunity to contribute to my family like never before and do something that I really like to do,” she said. “I would absolutely recommend RichmondCC to others. It has everything you need to start your education or finish it, whatever your goal is. It really prepares you for the next step.”

For More Information

Learn more about the Human Services Technology program at RichmondCC by calling (910) 410-1700. Registration for both summer and fall semesters is currently underway. Applications are free and are completed online.