YES Client Mirsa, Three Years Later
In 2015, Mirsa, then 19, first shared her story for the Seattle Times’ Fund for the Needy Campaign. In high school, Mirsa was referred to YES by her school counselor, for help working through childhood sexual abuse which caused her to self-harm. Then, when her son Daniel was born, she continued to participate with YES through the Healthy Start Program, now known as the Early Childhood Behavioral Health Program.
With the support of her family, her boyfriend, his family, and the Healthy Start program at YES, Mirsa graduated from Sammamish High School with a 3.0 GPA. With a full scholarship, she went to pursue her passion in Early Childhood Development at Trinity College.
Now, three years later, we followed up with Mirsa.
Mirsa graduated from Trinity College in 2016, a year early, with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. She is currently a teacher’s assistant at Natural Start Preschool in Bellevue and is hoping to join the Bellevue School District as a full-time teacher this fall.
A year ago, she married her long-time boyfriend and high school sweetheart Martin, who recently graduated with his bachelor’s degree in psychology. He said that he hopes to help others, similarly to how YES helped his wife.
Nine months ago, Mirsa and her husband Martin welcomed a daughter, Ari. Their son Danny, now 6 years old, will be starting kindergarten in the fall. He loves going to school and seeing his friends.
Today, Mirsa says she feels good about herself, and she feels more confident in her role as an early childhood educator. She still uses many of the therapy tools YES taught her and by now she says they have become second nature.
“I don’t think I’d be here without the support I got through YES. It’s hard when you’re a teenager. I’m so grateful for YES. The treatment that I got helped me gain a different perspective on life,” Mirsa said.
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