I Have a Future: Angel Looks Ahead

"I do a little bit of everything at Thistle Farms. This is the first job I've ever had, so being able to learn new things and master new skills, is wonderful. Thistle Farms is my livelihood because I believe in myself, I believe in my team. I know I have a future now." -- Angel, 2018 Graduate & Survivor Leader

For Thistle Farmers, Graduation Day is our favorite day of the year. Four amazing women took the next step in their journey of healing, empowerment, and employment this spring, and we wanted to take a moment to celebrate them and introduce you to Angel, a powerful survivor leader and witness to the truth that love heals.  

When asked if she could go back and tell herself anything before she started the two-year residential program, Angel said without hesitation, “It’s worth it.” Angel describes this journey as “a chance at life” and radical transformation for someone who not that long ago had just accepted that she “was going to die on the streets.” Now, she has reconnected with her family, helps oversee candle production in Manufacturing and is taking the initiative to learn as much as she can about all the different departments in the social enterprise—“It’s hard, but it’s exciting. And a lot of it is just knowing that it’s possible.” 

As Angel says, “It takes a community to keep us on the streets, but it also takes a community to help us get better.”