FEATURE

Student’s recovery journey empowers her to lead by example

Zoe Nash, peer recovery outreach specialist at CRP. Lily Cole | Washtenaw Voice

Yana McGuire

Staff Writer

Zoe Nash believes that her Peer Recovery Outreach Specialist position in the Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP) at WCC is one of the many blessings she has received during her two years of sobriety. She is eager to use this blessing to help others and spread awareness in the community that helped her.

“Everything, like support from other people, guidance and kindness, was given to me freely when I really needed it. That is why I am so eager to give back to others. If it was free to me, then it should be free to others,” Nash said.

She started her recovery journey by moving from Lansing to Ann Arbor and checking into the Home of New Vision recovery center.

She made this difficult decision after waking up one day and realizing her life needed a change. Nash was in an abusive relationship with a drug supplier who purposely fed her addiction to abuse her.

“He was a blessing in disguise in some way because if it wasn’t for him treating me the way that he did, I never would have tried to get sober,” Nash said. “I didn’t go to treatment to get sober. I went to treatment to run away from him and found my sobriety in that. That is really powerful to me and keeps me sober to this day.”

The kindness and guidance Nash received from treatment led her to the WCC campus to enroll in the radiography program. After meeting with a success coach, she immediately contacted CRP coordinator Teresa Herzog, who soon offered her a position with the CRP team.

“Of course, I said yes. To me, it was like a no-brainer. I love recovery. I love giving back and being of service in recovery. I want to lead by example and show that, yeah, this is hard, but if I can do it, then you can do it. We can use each other for support.”

Nash hopes that her story and time with CPR will provide blessings for many years in gratitude for the community’s grace.

“I want to be the person where, in the future, the person that comes into this position after me can think of how I helped them and then help the next person in the same ways,” Nash said.

If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic violence, please contact the Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233

If you need help with addiction, please contact Zoe or Teresa at 734-318-0785 or therzog@wccnet.edu.