People overcoming drugs is passions for Saccomano

This archived article was written by: Shadayah Jones

If anyone knows anything about growing up and making the best of a hard situation, it is Meranda Saccomano. Although she grew up as the child of a very young teen mom and surrounded by drugs and alcohol, Saccomano overcame it and pushed her way to a brighter future.
Saccomano, the disability resource center coordinator, grew up moving around Carbon County. She has lived in Helper, Price, Kenilworth and Wellington. The constant exposure of living with and being around a family who was into drugs and alcohol, made Saccomano decide to go into her profession.
She is working on her bachelor’s degree in social work, which she has been working on off and off for several years. “People overcoming drugs are my passion. I love seeing the differences in people and seeing them grow.” That is something that is most satisfying to her also. She loves to help others and knowing when she touches someone else’s life
While Saccomano was growing up she was the fun, exciting and a happy jokester. She would also describe herself as an out of control “Punky Brewster.” Although people around her thought that she was one of the happiest girls they knew, she was living a double life.
“Things were different at home. No one knew the struggles that I was going through and my secrets.” While in grade school, Saccomano was involved with student government, yearbook and newspaper. When she graduated from Carbon High in 2000, she came to USU-Eastern, which was still CEU at the time. She started out seeking a degree in criminal justice. It was while she was attending college that she met her husband at his going away party. They just recently celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary.
She is now residing in Helper with her husband and three kids. Something interesting about her children is they all have different hair colors. One has red, one has blonde and one has brown. She says that her dream is to live comfortably. “I would love to make sure my family is taken care of and nothing else.
Some of the things Saccomano is most proud of are her children, herself, and her husband for putting up with her. She said that she lives her life one day at a time. She treasures every moment and she is happy for what she has achieved.
Saccomano had a hard life growing up. She was faced with many things that some people never even heard of until they were in high school. She had to face hardships each and every day but she overcame it and used her experiences to help her grow. Now she has devoted her life to helping others who are going through the same hardships and changing their lives. “I moved to the other side of the tracks and my life changed when I was 19. I will never forget where I came from, because it made me who I am today.