Outstanding Social Work Graduate Tina Urbanowski Broke the Cycle and Turned Trauma Into Purpose
The path was already paved for Tina Urbanowski. Generations of alcoholism and abuse shaped her early life that included homelessness, addiction, abuse and a lost pregnancy.
Breaking the cycle hasn’t been easy, but now she’s using those experiences to make a better life for herself and her two sons.
Urbanowski came to Owens Community College with clear goals and motivation, and she’ll graduate this May with her Associate of Arts in Social Work and as the program’s outstanding graduate.
“Gratitude is a big part of my life today,” Urbanowski said. “Remembering those times and remembering how far I’ve come not only helps me remember I can make it through anything but also if I can do it, so can anyone else. That’s why I wanted to come back to school, to be able to help on a bigger scale.
“I just want to show people that there’s hope. It doesn’t matter if you’re 25, 30, 40, you can still do whatever you want with your life.”
At 20 years old, Urbanowski was in an abusive relationship and got pregnant. She was “terrified” — she lost a previous pregnancy because of the abuse. So in the middle of the night, she packed up her things and left, pregnant and now homeless.
Having her oldest son completely changed everything. She now has two sons, ages 12 and 7.
“He is my best friend,” Urbanowski said. “He’s my biggest supporter. He’s the good you want, he’s pure and kind and thoughtful. I genuinely love being a mom. They deserve everything, and more.
“Having kids and not wanting to continue with the generational cycles that my family has been through, there’s been generation of alcoholism and abuse, and today, my kids have no idea what that is. I wanted to be for them who I needed when I was little.”
In 2020, Urbanowski found Racing for Recovery, a treatment center in Holland. She’s been sober since then and now works as a substance use counselor after getting her GED and CDCA (Chemical Dependency Counselor Assistant) certificate.
“People that have no one get to genuinely have a community that cares for them, people that want to help you live,” Urbanowski said. “They’re there for me through everything, and that’s something I’ve never had.
“There were parts of me that needed to belong somewhere. Now I feel like I can belong anywhere because I have that confidence in myself.”
Urbanowski wanted to make a bigger impact in her work, and she knew getting a degree was necessary. However, college had never been on her radar and self-doubt left her wondering whether she could even pass a class, much less graduate.
She came to Owens and found a supportive community and an environment that wasn’t intimidating. Not only did she pass classes, but she rocketed to the top of the class. Soon, her internal conversation wasn’t doubting her abilities but about saying it was OK to get something other than an A.
“I didn’t think I was smart enough or capable, so the fact I did well is even an amazing accomplishment,” Urbanowski said. “When I got the email for this award, I thought it was spam. I searched and found it was legit. It just reinforces that I can do more than I set my mind to. I am capable.”
With her associate degree, Urbanowski is also earning her Licensed Chemical Dependency Coordinator certification and will continue working at Racing for Recovery. In the fall, she’ll start work on completing her bachelor’s degree.
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Published May 2026