The 100th class of Women’s Empowerment program graduates recently celebrated with a powerful commencement ceremony. Photo courtesy of Sacramento County 

SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - Fourteen graduates recently took a determined walk up to the stage amid cheers, applause and, for many, tears.

Tears in their eyes, and in the eyes of the staff, friends and family that have supported them through the hardest years of their life.

Tears of sadness and pain for their past and tears of hope and joy for their future.

As each graduate was introduced, another graduate adorned their neck with a brilliant purple and pink sash, symbolizing their transition into their story’s next chapter.

Graduations are largely symbolic but the tangible and real results experienced by these Women’s Empowerment program enrollees will shape the rest of their lives. The 14 graduates from the 100th graduating class of the Women’s Empowerment program carry the weight of 99 classes before them and hold promise for the countless classes that will come after.

For more than 20 years, Women’s Empowerment has equipped women experiencing homelessness by providing education, employment readiness, childcare and community support to help them rebuild their lives and move into independence.

“This 100th graduation is more than a number; it represents hundreds of women who have taken steps toward stability, confidence and a brighter future,” said Women’s Empowerment Executive Director Lisa Culp. “We are honored to walk alongside them as they reclaim their lives and inspire our entire community with their courage.”

Since its founding, Women’s Empowerment has graduated more than 1,800 women, many of whom have secured employment, housing and educational opportunities.

The program combines job training, counseling, health services and mentorship to address barriers faced by women experiencing homelessness. Several classes that the graduates said were particularly impactful focused on anger management, budgeting, cooking, parenting, ready to rent and resume building.

The recent ceremony was filled with heartfelt speeches from the graduates about what the program and the support of staff and fellow enrollees meant to them. Stories of addiction, trauma, domestic abuse, pain, disappointment and hopelessness gave way to dreams of self-sufficiency, sobriety, productive futures, sustained employment and permanent housing.

One graduate shared her experience in the budgeting class.

“They are teaching us how to budget if we want a future, not just a paycheck,” she said. “We are better now than we were yesterday and we’ll be better tomorrow, thanks to the love and support this program has given us.”

The ceremony ended with the graduates’ children giving them roses, a gesture from the childcare team to show how proud they are of the graduates’ accomplishments and a reminder why they are working so hard to change their circumstances.

Another graduate, in closing the ceremony, said, “Breaking generational poverty, addiction and abuse is the most important thing we can do for the next generation. These children have endured trauma as well. Showing our kids that we are strong, resilient and worth more than the life we currently have is priceless. This program gives us the power we need to choose a new life, a new path. I now know that I am important. My voice matters. My story matters. And it’s just beginning.”