Recognition

Celeste Harris

Celeste Harris, Service Area Manager for VR’s 1-A division, loves fishing and Vocational Rehabilitation – but not necessarily in that order.

Harris, an Alabama native, started with the State of Georgia’s VR program in 1998, obtaining a Master’s Degree in 1999 and becoming a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor in 2000.  She then moved into management, and she often reflects on her time with GVRA: “I love VR! Vocational rehabilitation offers opportunities for individuals with disabilities to augment their sense of self-worth, and that is so rewarding to witness.”

Vocational rehabilitation, Celeste continues, provides individuals with disabilities the chance to access services that they normally would not receive – regardless of the disability involved, VR helps these individuals to bolster a sense of self-worth, which is absolutely necessary when attaining employment.  “This gives them a great feeling of accomplishment,” she repeats, “and it’s so rewarding.”

When asked for her own words of wisdom to guide new GVRA employees, Celeste offered some constructive advice – “Trust the process; trust the training you receive; and learn to implement this training.”  Celeste appreciates the transparency of current leadership and would love to see additional opportunities for professional learning.  “At GVRA, she says, “we are used to doing the best that we can – if we see a need, we fill it; we make it work; we are a family-oriented agency and we go across job lines and descriptions in order to provide quality service.”

And as for her other great love?  Well, Celeste tells me about it: “I love to fish – fishing is therapeutic; it helps my focus and concentration.” She fishes both fresh and salt water, from ponds to rivers to the Atlantic Ocean…from bream to bluegill, whiting to red snapper, Celeste is a great angler.

We thank you, Celeste, for your service to GVRA, and for sharing your interests with us!

Hernando DelaCruz 

Hernando DelaCruz was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, a city in the northwest corner of the country and near the Caribbean Sea. That’s where his journey started. Seven years removed and 1,684 miles away from Barranquilla, DelaCruz has made a new home in Georgia’s capitol city.

Like all journeys, this one had its share of unique challenges. DelaCruz was born with cerebral palsy, a permanent movement disorder that can lead to problems with muscle control, but he knew one surefire way to continue along his path toward where he wanted to go: knowledge.

He first attending classes in information system Technologies in Colombia, where the stigma surrounding disability made it difficult to find a career in the field he was so passionate about.

So he moved. He had family in Athens, and in 2009—hardly speaking any English—he relocated there.

Language was going to be another hurdle, but to Delacruz, it was a question with an answer with which he was already familiar. To overcome adversity, he would use his knowledge.

He taught himself English using Rosetta Stone software, and then the job hunt began. But because his classes in Colombia didn’t translate to similar classes in the states, he needed help. That’s where VR came in. Working with a team of counselors in Athens, it was agreed that he should attend Roosevelt Warm Springs (RWS). There, he thrived, interning in the campus’ IT department and proving that his skills translated well from one continent to the next.

He graduated from RWS in April of 2014, and the job hunt continued. Then, more than a year later, his Counselor, at this point Richard Smith, suggested he start applying for IT jobs with the state. And it worked.

As fate would have it, his timing couldn’t have been better. GVRA was in the process of building out its own IT department, and he had the knowledge and the skills to make a positive impact on the team.

He began work at the agency’s administrative office in Atlanta, and he’s been a quick study.

“It was hard. It was hard work,” DelaCruz said. “But I knew that my knowledge was good and would get me where I wanted to go.”