Deborah Rogala

Program Manager Resettlement Program

Hi my name is Deb Rogala and I want to tell you a little bit about my journey with Community Partners in Action (CPA). It began in 1994. I was an intern from Central Connecticut State University and I was a senior when I came in contact with the Resettlement Program. I met Sister Nancy, who has been a tremendous mentor to me. After that internship I was hooked. I knew immediately that I wanted to work with this population and I wanted to work with an agency that has such a wealth of history. We have been around since 1875 and that to me it's pretty amazing.

The Resettlement program works with individual that are discharging from Niantic (York Correctional Institution), 6 months prior to release and then 6 months in the community. I have been with the program for fourteen years now because I absolutely love what I do. I really believe that CPA and Resettlement are making a difference in so many people's lives. I'm awed by the strength of the women we work with. I come to work everyday and I love what I do. I am amazed by the work that we do. For me it's easy, you either go to work and love what you do or you hate what you do. I chose to stay with CPA because I believe in our mission, I believe that people can change if given the opportunity and given the resources.

The greatest rewards for me are watching individual successes. Whether it be watching an individual graduate her GED or watching/witnessing someone graduate from college or driving a U-Haul filled with furniture and help someone move into their first apartment or helping someone move into one of our transitional houses. There are so many rewards to the job. Yes there are absolute challenges and I think that is the piece where I've grown the most and learned about myself through coworkers, staff, supervisors and mentors. I have grown tremendously over these fourteen years, both emotionally and spiritually. I'm a different person. I see the world different. I see the issues of society differently. I'm really blessed to be part of such a great organization.