“I want to help people find help”, said Bobbie Goodman.
It was nearly two decades ago when Bobbie Goodman dropped out of college and began punching the time clock at the local factories. She worked alongside her mother and other relatives to make ends meet for the family.
“When I was 18, I dropped out of college and started working in the textile mill to help support my family,” said Goodman.
Goodman lived paycheck to paycheck for twenty-five years while working inside multiple factories. After years of struggling to survive financially while raising kids and supporting her son’s Boy Scout Troop as the leader, Goodman realized she needed to return to school. For many people, it takes a college degree to earn a living wage and that’s why Bobbie decided to further her education.
“When I was younger, I didn’t think about what I needed for my future. Oh man, if I knew then, what I know now,” said Goodman continuing to say -she would have stayed in college and earned her degree.
“I want to be the person who helps those find the resources and services they need to help them overcome their struggles,” said Goodman.
Goodman anticipates graduating Spring 2023 with her Associate Degree in Human Services from Southside Virginia Community College. This achievement will be in addition to three certificates she has earned since 2019 from Wytheville Community College: Integrated Discipline, Mental Health, and Developmental Disabilities.
In 2020, Bobbie Goodman was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She has a 4.0 GPA and was awarded the Dr. W. J. Ferguson Memorial scholarship for the Spring 2022 semester through the Foundation @SVHEC. She is currently employed at Southern Virginia Mental Health Institute located in Danville.
“I’d really like to commend ya’ll- I’m very excited and pleased for everything the Foundation has done to help me further my education,” said Goodman.