It can be difficult navigating the world as a young adult, especially if the support systems we all value are unavailable. As the Atlanta Program Director of Independent Living (IL), Angela Green has dedicated her life to being that support system and helping those young adults create the life they deserve.
Angela first heard about Necco from longtime friend Nateefa Lee, the Atlanta IL supervisor at the time. She says the way Nateefa spoke about Necco's “fun and family-oriented atmosphere” inspired her to become involved.
Angela says her “love and passion for helping young people” plays a huge part in her everyday life. Her daily goal as a Program Director is to lend a helping hand to young adults who are learning the skills of independent living. She says the work is not about her, but about being able to “empower them to believe a little more and work a little harder at achieving their goals,” despite the challenges they may face.
As someone who grew up in a home that displayed domestic violence, Angela says she is able to better understand many of the young adults who have dealt with or are still dealing with similar situations. “What makes me relatable is the fact that I meet them where they are,” she says. “It helps that they don’t feel like you’ve never been through anything and are always preaching about being better.”
Angela earned her Bachelors in Criminal Justice Administration from the University of Phoenix before attending Capella University, where she received her Masters in Psychology. She also earned a specialization in Child and Adolescent Development.
She began her Necco journey as a Life Coach in 2015. Within just one year, she rose through the ranks as a Team Leader and then a Program Director. Angela says her coworkers and teammates all over have “played an intricate role” in her success at Necco. “I’m just glad to work alongside champions,” she adds.
In 2017, Angela left Necco but shortly returned as a Life Coach in 2019. Soon, she had reprised her role as IL Program Director. She says she returned to Necco for a second time because “it was always a place that felt at home” and that coming back was always in the forefront of her mind.
Angela says that seeing the kids living a prosperous life is her greatest accomplishment. She adds a recent story that reaffirmed her belief that she is in the right place:
“I think back to one of the youth who was preparing to age out of care in approximately 6 months. He was so scared that he wouldn’t be able to make it on his own that he began to break every rule of [the Independent Living Program] in hopes of getting removed …. One day he called me out of the blue and said, ‘I’m just going to go to the Army, and I will be leaving next week.’ I begged him to come see me before he left …. We prayed for his heart’s desires to be met as well as his safety. Recently, he contacted me to tell me that he successfully completed bootcamp and how he often could hear my voice telling him to push through when times get rough. He surprised me at the office when he came back to Atlanta during a short visit just to say, ‘Thank you for not letting me quit.’ That is when I knew!”
To find out more about Necco’s Independent Living program, visit the IL Overview page, or if you’re interested in a career at Necco, find our opportunities on the Careers Page.