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Former participant Colleen credits program, thanks Judge Friedman at graduation
Summary
Colleen, a 2017 graduate now working as a recovery coach, returned to the La Porte Problem Solving Court graduation to thank staff and Judge Friedman and to encourage current participants to view recovery as ongoing work.
Colleen, a 2017 graduate of the La Porte Problem Solving Court who now works in recovery services, returned to the podium to thank the court team and to urge graduates to treat recovery as "a lifelong commitment." She described her time in the program as transformational and said it "gave me my life back."
She singled out the presiding judge — identified in the transcript as Judge Friedman — for her role in the program, saying, "Thank you for believing in us before we believed in ourselves." Colleen also described how she went from being a participant to a recovery coach, and she urged graduates to keep attending to their recovery every day, to maintain connections to therapists and sponsors and to 'give a hand back' to others entering recovery.
Colleen's remarks were part of a larger ceremony that recognized program staff and community partners, and she emphasized gratitude for the professional team whose work supports participants' progress.
