ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Jessica Ortiz

Second Chance Graduate

Jessica Ortiz first became involved with Second Chance as a participant in its job readiness program. She said she felt valued and appreciated from the staff on her very first day.

Every day, there was always an opportunity for everyone to share out about their past and how they are moving forward, which always helped her learn something new or helped her gain a new perspective.

She eventually applied to a job at Second Chance, went through two rounds of interviews, and now works for the non-profit as a business representative.

Her seven-year-old son is her greatest motivation and her goal is to teach him kindness and patience. Jessica’s fondest memory is holding her son skin-to-skin when he was born.

She hopes to one day travel to Japan.

Second Chance helped me understand, we all have choices, and it is the most powerful tool we have. At any point we can change the direction of our lives by a simple choice.