Each PAU student finds their way through our doors in different ways. Dennis Haysley’s path was remarkably unique. After spending 20 years without a home and addicted to drugs, Haysley sought help to get off the streets, graduate from college, survive a quadruple heart bypass, and eventually, at the age of 70, reach his goal of earning an M.A. in counseling. He is now employed in a recovery program where he will use his experience and PAU degree to help others.
Haysley’s life began to turn around June 10, 2005, when he self-admitted to the Homeless Veterans Rehabilitation Program (HVRP) in Palo Alto, a six-month inpatient program at the VA Hospital. “In my early days in HVRP, I heard other veterans proclaim that they just wanted their life back, and I remember thinking, not me, I want a new life. I invested myself into the HVRP motto, ‘I create what happens to me.’” Haysley was fortunate to receive excellent career counseling, which led to a conversation with one of the program’s addiction therapists that shaped his career goal: to become a state certified alcohol and drug counselor.
His new plan led Haysley to a local community college where he passed the California certification exam and earned an associate's degree in alcohol and drug studies, and then matriculated at Palo Alto University.
Helping Others Achieve a Life in Which They Can Dream Again
Haysley looks forward with excitement and pride to Saturday, June 22, 2019, when he will receive his degree as a professional clinical counselor. But he is not stopping there. “For the last three years I assumed my appetite for career advancement would be satisfied with a master addiction counselor. But as I think ahead to the commencement ceremony, I’ve been thinking about the possibility of other opportunities where I can help people recover from their addictions and get on a path to a healthy life. Perhaps a life in which they can dream again.”