Back on Track

Northampton County Community College (NCC) student Rayne Allen, who will graduate this spring with a degree in social work, will have plenty of personal experiences to draw from as she works with clients. As she gets closer to graduating with an associate's degree in social work, she credits NCC for helping her get her life back on track.  

"I can't say enough about NCC and how they have supported me and held me up through difficult times," she said. "There's no limit to what this college has done to support my success, and I'm so grateful. I can't wait until I'm in a position where I can give back to NCC the way they have given to me." 

Allen's troubles began at home. To escape her home life, she became a teenage runaway and started abusing drugs. She landed in towns in New Jersey, such as Perth Amboy and Elizabeth.  

Allen’s mother gave up her parental rights, signing her over to the state of New Jersey. As a result, she became a resident of group homes, from which she continued to run away. After getting involved with drugs, at age 17, she was admitted to a treatment center. On her 18th birthday, she signed herself out against medical advice and returned to her lifestyle.  

"One time, I got in a car with the wrong person," Allen said. "He kidnapped me, held me hostage for three days and threatened to kill me. I somehow convinced him that I was more valuable alive, so, he trafficked me."  

Taking a huge risk, at five months pregnant, she told one of her customers who helped her get away.  

"It was a shot in the dark," she said. "The way I saw it, I was likely dead either way, so, I had to try. It wound up working in my favor."  She went to the Middlesex County Coastal Division of Youth and Family Services Office, where a caseworker helped her find a place to stay. She went back into treatment to give herself and her unborn child a better life. 

She was pregnant with her first child while at a halfway home for moms and kids when she knew something wasn’t right. At seven months gestation, she lost her baby boy. "It was tough for me and caused a huge crack in my spirituality," said Allen, who leaned on her faith in her darkest times after leaving home. After losing the baby, she went on to have two sons, Jacob and Jeremiah.  

But, Allen began abusing drugs again, started living with the wrong people, and eventually, she became homeless with her children. "For the first time in my life, I called my mother. I told her one of two things are going to happen. You're going to let me come home, or my drug addiction is going to kill me,” she said. 

Allen and her children went to stay with her mother, but with so many unresolved issues, it didn't work out. She moved into the Third Street Alliance for Women and Children in Easton and was caught using drugs. The Northampton County Children & Youth Services became involved. To keep her children, she had to get a job, pass random urine tests, attend Narcotics Anonymous and follow the shelter's rules. This was the turning point for Allen. 

"My life was in chaos. Either I was going to get it together, or I would destroy my children's lives. After burying my first child, that was the most terrifying thing to me." 

She called the county's drug and alcohol hotline and told them she needed help. Someone took her to a rehabilitation facility the following day, April 15, 2020. After completing a 28-day program, she was released. Valley Youth House helped her find an apartment.  

At Narcotics Anonymous meetings, she got a sponsor and then became a sponsor to a woman who applied to NCC and was accepted. This motivated her to return to pursue college and major in social work.  

"For the first time in a long time, I started to dream about making an imprint on the world. I saw myself as a person who could bring change to the world. So, I applied to Northampton."    

She went to the Admissions Office. "I told them I had a gift I needed to share with the world, and I didn't know how because I couldn't afford it. And they said, 'We're going to help you. We're going to figure it out.'"  

They referred her to Financial Aid, where she met with a counselor for hours. By the time she recounted her life story, they both were teary-eyed. NCC helped her apply for scholarships. She was awarded the Joshway Scholarship, and she was connected with Spartan Aid through the college, which helped her get money for books and transportation. 

She maintained a 4.0 grade point average (GPA) during her first four semesters, then took a semester off. Meanwhile, she has been raising her children and working full-time as a direct care provider. She works as a drug and alcohol counselor and is working toward certification. She expects to graduate in May 2025, after which, she’d like to pursue her bachelor's and doctorate degrees. 

Allen said she couldn't have done this without the help of the NCC staff and professors, who restored her self-esteem.  

"They blew life back into my lungs," Allen said. "I had lost myself, but they restored my confidence by saying, ‘You're awesome, and you’re going to be great. Don't stop.’"  

Among her favorite courses were her social work courses with professor Hope Horowitz. 

"When class was done, she pulled me aside and said to me, ‘You need to get a doctorate. You were made to teach.’ That felt like lost dreams awakening and new possibilities arising."