The Salvation Army helps Houston woman overcome obstacles, achieve her dream career at NASA

Mejean had always loved everything about space, NASA, and technology, but her dream to go to college kept getting postponed.

First, she began a career in law enforcement to help her family with finances, and then she became a mother of two. She always held on to her dream of becoming an engineer and joining NASA, though. She decided to pursue her dream shortly after becoming a mom.

Her family had always been "just okay" living paycheck to paycheck, but after Mejean quit her job to become a full-time student, things became harder for her family. Her husband, Ray, became the sole breadwinner.

Then tragedy struck.

Mejean was hit by a car. Ray quit his job immediately to take care of his wife and tend to her every need. At the time, Mejean was a University of Houston student pursuing a computer engineering degree. The bills began to pile up, and their finances spiraled out of control. They lost everything.

"We didn't have a car, and we had to depend on the bus to get everywhere," said Mejean. "At one point, I had to make the decision, am I going to make it to class, or am I going to have enough money to eat?"

Eventually, the family could not pay bills or rent, and the electricity was cut off. They had to move out of the apartment they'd called home for eight years. That is when Mejean did a Google search to find a shelter, and she found The Salvation Army Family Residence. Mejean and her family moved into Family Residence, and things began to come together for the family.

"Everything we needed was there, and I don't know if I would have had that anywhere else," explained Mejean. "They talked to us about nutrition, meal planning, finances, and budgeting. I was even seeing a doctor regularly for the first time in 10 years."

The Salvation Army provided Mejean with a safe space to breathe, self-evaluate and process everything that was happening. When Mejean was ready, The Salvation Army connected her with the United Way of Greater Houston who assisted the family with career placement, apartment down payment assistance, and furnishing their first apartment.

"What I remember most about Family Residence is how great they were with my kids. The kids loved their time there. They remember playing guitar with First Baptist Church, playing games, and going on field trips to Cirque du Soleil."

Mejean was able to go back to school and went on to graduate in summer 2018, with a job waiting for her at NASA. Currently, Mejean is a Linux developer and configuration management analyst for NASA at the Johnson Space Center.

"People think you are brave when you go through things like this, but when you're actually going through this, you don't feel brave. When I moved into Family Residence, I was falling into pieces. But, I left Family Residence with resources and an entire village to help my family and me get to where we are now."