Chasta Wright knew she wanted to graduate from college and begin a career in a "helping profession." She also knew that without some help, she was going to have to trade her full-time education in for a part-time education and a full-time job.

Thanks to the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program, Chasta got the support she needed to remain a full-time student and graduate on time. But graduation was not the end of her WIA experience; it was only the beginning.

Today, Chasta sits on the other side of the desk as a WIA career counselor at the Pike County JobSight. Her goal, she said, is to link customers who feel they are at the end of their ropes with the same advice and assistance she received when she was a WIA participant. The training Chasta received while working toward her dual bachelor's degree in psychology and human services from Pikeville College helps her do that.

"I try to let them see that there are different options out there that can help them achieve their career goals," Chasta said. "Just because you're at a dead-end in one part of your life doesn't mean you have to give up hope. You can keep on going, and there are things out there to help you."

Chasta said it seems she was fated to work with the WIA. Her history with the Pike County JobSight goes back to the one-stop workforce center's opening in the spring of 2001. Interestingly, when she first began working there as a receptionist, she had no idea what the WIA was. She soon found out exactly what it is, and how crucial it would be in her own educational pursuit.

Chasta had enrolled at Pikeville College in 1999. At the time, she was also holding down part-time jobs at a local supermarket and a clothing store to pay her rent, bills, school loans, and living expenses. For two years, Chasta juggled a hectic work schedule and a full-time class load that often included 18 credit hours of coursework.

"I knew that working at a supermarket for the rest of my life just wasn't for me," she said. "Holding down those two jobs and going to school at the same time really made me realize that I wanted to do something else with my life. But I knew I couldn't do that unless I went to college."

Tired of the demanding schedules of her part-time jobs, Chasta resolved in early 2001 to find other employment. Her search led her to the Pike County JobSight and she began working there as a receptionist that April. The new job let her leave her other jobs.

"At the JobSight, they worked around my schedule, and it was a Monday-through-Friday job," Chasta said. "That really helped me focus even more on my classes and studies."

But as her coursework improved because of her new job, Chasta's financial situation grew more strained. She had received some financial aid from Pikeville College, but it covered only a small portion of her tuition and related expenses. Chasta had borrowed a significant sum in student loans to cover the remaining costs. After nearly two years in college, she was deeply in debt, and facing large monthly payments.

The help Chasta needed was right under her nose. Not long after she began working at the JobSight, Chasta received an explanation of WIA services during a staff cross-training session.

"The more I was told about it, the more interested I became," Chasta said. "I thought to myself that maybe this is the road that I can take to get help and make it through everything."

WIA Intake Specialist Kim Ratliff told Chasta she might be eligible for WIA support during her final two years of college as long as she kept her grade-point average up and continued to work to keep her income up. Chasta did, and soon learned she was eligible for WIA supportive services that would cover the lion's share of her tuition, as well as the cost of her books and other fees.

"It was a huge relief," Chasta said. "If I hadn't gotten on the program during those last two years, I would have continued to take out school loans and gotten more in debt, and probably would have ended up taking out other loans just to make ends meet because my job wasn't enough."

Chasta credits WIA support with helping her transcend her financial troubles and graduate in four years.

Chasta also said WIA Career Advisor Kandi Hall was "great to me" during her time in the program, helping her wade through paperwork and tackle financial aid concerns. "If I brought something to her, I knew I could depend on her to help me," Chasta said. Kandi's kindness and understanding also helped shape Chasta as she prepared to go into "the helping profession" herself.

After graduating in May 2003, Chasta was promoted to a position with the Kentucky Department for Employment Services (recently renamed Office of Employment and Training), which is one of the partner agencies in the JobSight workforce network. In February 2004, Chasta had the opportunity to become a WIA career counselor. It was an opportunity she could not pass up.

"If you've struggled through things yourself, you know what these people are up against," Chasta said, "so I never hesitate to tell my participants that I was on the WIA program. I let them all know that if it wasn't for the program, I probably wouldn't be here, and that it can help them just like it helped me."