Sacramento State social work graduate Jolene Ford was given recognition by the California State University Board of Trustees in August for returning to school after years of fearing the opinions of people about her condition.

Ford’s ability to combat her HIV, maintain a notable grade point average, overcome depression and substance abuse and commit to helping those who struggle with HIV was all  taken into consideration when she was selected to receive the scholarship award.

The annual student recognition is one of the highest distinctions possible in the CSU, according to its website.

The $3,000 scholarship award is accompanied by a Sony laptop, walkman and camera valued at $1,200.

“My experience was extremely humbling,” Ford said. “[The CSU] treated us like royalty.”

There was a time when Ford lived in fear of what people would say of her condition, which showed in her schoolwork during her first 11 semesters at Sac State.

“I’m tired of being stigmatized for having a disease,” Ford said. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

The stigma led her to drop out of Sac State in 1994.

“You didn’t tell people back then,” Ford said. “I just couldn’t tell people. It was like I was holding this big huge secret.”

After dropping out of school and work, Ford made false identification cards and counterfeit checks until a friend reported her to the police. She and her husband Steve Ford were arrested for possession of stolen mail.

“What I didn’t know at the time, was that my friend saved my life,” Ford said.

While awaiting trial, Ford was placed in a program called The Effort, specializing in patient rehabilitation and drug abuse.

“That’s where I regained my self-esteem and my will to live,” Ford said. “I started to take my medicine.”

After spending a year in federal prison, she was released in 2004 and rejoined her husband in San Francisco.

As Ford began her sober life, she started volunteering in August 2011 for the Sunburst Project, a program dedicated to working with people diagnosed with HIV.

A supervisor at Sunburst eventually offered Ford an internship to work at a summer camp. Before starting actual employment, she was at the camp as a client.

“She would volunteer her time even when she didn’t have to go in,” said Sandra Jackson, Ford’s longtime friend and social work colleague. “She was very passionate.”

Ford said her experiences at Sunburst as a client gave her a whole new perspective.

“Up until that point, I had never met kids and adults that were infected with HIV,” Ford said. “That was really emotional for me. That’s who I was, yet I didn’t have all this support.”

Ford said spending time with young children was the best part of her time at the camp, as she swam, shared meals and engaged in other activities with the girls she also shared a cabin with.

“They made cabin rules like no farting or no burping,” Ford said.

At Sunburst, Ford is responsible for performing mental health counseling, ensuring clients take their medication and visiting clients too anxious to attend group counseling.

“We do just about anything and everything to help our clients lead healthy lives,” Ford said.

She continued working for Sunburst when she returned to American River College, where she earned her associate’s degree in human services and chemical dependencies with a 4.0 GPA.

When Ford returned to Sac State, she applied for academic renewal due to her low GPA before dropping out, attributing it to a lack of motivation and a struggle with her diagnosis.

“Ford is committed to academic excellence as well as embodying the values, mission, purpose, and vision of our profession of social work,” said David Demetral, Sac State social work professor.

Ford changed her life from fear of what people would say about her condition to embracing it and helping others with HIV feel comfortable with themselves.

“I respect her as a friend and as a peer,” Jackson said. “She’s passionate about giving back to humanity.”

Ford spends her time working on her graduate studies, raising her son and working with clients at Sunburst.

“She is empathic, non-judgemental and unconditionally accepting towards everyone that she works with,” Demetral said.