Watch Shelby’s Story

Watch James’ Story

Watch Aliana’s Story

Hello, my name is Sheran. Before I started with StepUp Wilmington, I was struggling to make ends meet and felt anxious and exhausted. It was frustrating, especially since I faced limitations in finding better opportunities due to not having my high school diploma at the time.

Born into a military family, Maleta's early years provided her with the essentials, but her life took a turn as abuse shattered her world. Silenced by fear, she endured years of unimaginable pain and suffering in her formative years. As she ventured into adulthood, she sought solace in romantic relationships, but they did not offer the healing she needed. Vulnerable, aching for love and security, she found herself gripped by the clutches of addiction, a descent that led her to a life on the streets, grappling with mental and emotional turmoil. Brushing shoulders with the law and spending time behind bars, Maleta was at a crossroads when the opportunity for rehabilitation arose.

Today, Maleta has a beautiful one year-old son, a steady job, two years of sobriety and is actively enrolled at Cape Fear Community College pursuing her Associates degree.

When Jimmy started his journey with StepUp Wilmington, he knew that he had the opportunity to not only change his life, but the lives of others as well. “I’m in recovery from substance abuse. I went through the Wilmington Treatment Center and they have an alumni organization. One thing they do is provide support for people in recovery, especially once they’re out of the treatment center. I found out about StepUp through those efforts, and we’ve been recommending you all to people,” Jimmy explained, adding that he feels comfortable being transparent about his story.

In 2019, Brooke came to StepUp Wilmington looking for support in her job search. Now two years later, when she needed to leave her old position for another new one, she was able to use what she learned from StepUp to snag one faster than ever. “A friend told me about [StepUp Wilmington] and thought it would be a good idea,” Brooke explained. “My job search was a lonely, arduous journey. So I just thought ‘I’m going to see what it’s all about.’”

When Alyssa graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a degree in International Studies and a minor in Security Studies, she had hoped to put her education to use by launching into a government career in international security. But without a master’s degree or the appropriate work experience, she quickly realized that there was more work to be done before her dream could become a reality. “A girl working as a bartender part time doesn’t look too good for that position,” Alyssa admitted. “I wanted to find a job that could get me into office work instead of service job

For Kyava, earning her Medical Assistant degree from Miller-Motte College was a great accomplishment. But when difficulties with her post-graduate certification, as well as the recent passing of her mother made her efforts to find work in the medical field more difficult than she’d hoped, Kyava felt like what began to hold her back more than anything else was the loss of confidence she’d had in herself. “I knew I wanted back in the medical field… but I was willing to take just anything at that point,” Kyava noted.

StepUp Wilmington is excited to announce another step forward in its mission with the launch of a new brand, Beyond Talent.