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| Derinda Roberts |
Miller presented Derinda Roberts of Detroit with the August 1996 Achiever of the Month Award. After growing up in a family that survived on AFDC benefits Derinda knew she wanted more out of life than public assistance had to offer. At the age of 18 she started taking classes at Wayne State University to become a doctor. At the age of 20 her life was shattered. While waiting for the bus to attend a review of her Medicaid case she was abducted at gun point and taken to an abandoned house where she was assaulted. When she started to scream her attacker pushed her down some stairs and shot her five times leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. Derinda had a Supplemental Security Income case to help deal with her medical bills. Since then she attended Eastern Michigan University while her son went to a Head Start Program. While attending school full time she also worked as an Americorps volunteer teaching elementary school children computer skills. She graduated in October 1995 with her Master's Degree in Guidance and Counseling. Derinda now works full time for Travelers Aid Society of Detroit as a case manager providing crisis intervention for people's travel needs. Derinda now receives only $1.00 a month in SSI benefits, enabling her to qualify for Medicaid to help with her continuing medical problems.
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