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Alumni Spotlight: Rebecca O’Hara Class of 2007
A dual major graduate from the University of Albany, Rebecca O’Hara (maiden name Allis) is working to help people overcome their addictions, a job the Altmar-Parish-Williamstown alumna never dreamed she would be doing.
“If you asked me five years ago, I would have never imagined that I would be working in addiction, but I couldn’t be more grateful for such a humbling learning experience,” said O’Hara.
After obtaining her master’s degree from Walden University in clinical mental health counseling, O’Hara now works at Crouse Hospital’s Opioid Treatment Center as a chemical dependency therapist. In her position, O’Hara helps those who are struggling with their fight against addiction or those in the recovery process.
From an early age, O’Hara said it seemed like helping people overcome their problems was in her career path.
“My friends would always come to me for help with their struggles and it seemed to be my thing,” said O’Hara. “From there, I just knew I needed to help people through the counseling field.”
O’Hara said APW helped instill a love for learning. That passion for knowledge continues today as she continues to learn and earn academic credit to maintain her license.
O’Hara uses a quote from Maya Angelou to sum up her advice for students coming up through the APW Central School District.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”