Meet Roland, a Howard County native shaped by generations of local history. His father was a brick and block mason who helped build the city of Columbia as it grew into the place many know today.
Early on, Roland discovered he worked best with his hands. He gravitated toward cars and over time, built a career as an automotive technician. He spent more than thirty years in the field, developing deep technical skills. Eventually, the physical demands of the job, along with substance use and ongoing anxiety, began to overshadow everything else. Facing those challenges pushed Roland to look for support.
“I was at a point in my life where I didn’t want anything to do with anybody. I stopped working on cars and was living on my friend’s couch.”
After trial and error with different rehabilitation programs, Roland finally found a place at Humanim through his case worker and joined our Psychiatric Rehabilitation day program in 2018. In the years since, his life has taken a steadier shape and he now lives in his childhood home, the same one his father built. He is also building relationships, finding healthier ways to spend his time, and supporting others around him.
One outlet that reentered his life is woodworking. Roland has been crafting timeless pieces of furniture and decor since grade school. His pieces include but are not limited to a dry sink, a 6ft round dining room table with dog paw legs, and a bird house. “When I had spare time after getting sober, woodworking and coming to Humanim helped pass the time.”
Roland now leads woodworking groups within the day program, sharing the craft with his peers and offering encouragement along the way. As both a teacher and a friend to other participants, Roland is widely respected by those around him.
To continue helping others in the community, Roland is working toward becoming a Maryland Certified Peer Recovery Specialist. The role will allow him to draw on his own experiences to provide recovery support services to those looking to rebuild their lives. His advice to anyone seeking the light at the end of the tunnel is, “you really, truly need to make your own footprints. Only you can take the first steps and decide what works for you.”