Hope Hindel has faced challenges throughout her life. But she is a firm believer in never giving up.

“When you’ve been through what I’ve been through,” she said, “You either get down about it or pick yourself back up and keep going — you just keep going.”

A part-time student at Central Ohio Technical College, Hope, 38, balances classes and homework with her job at Otterbein Granville and her role as a member of the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities’ Human Rights Committee.

She’s hopeful that all her involvement and accomplishments show others what’s possible.

“What I’ve experienced has been pretty helpful. it shows that no matter what disability you have, you can overcome those challenges and struggles, just at a different pace, and that’s ok,” she said.

Hope and her identical twin sister were born six weeks early and Hope only weighed 1 pound, 13 ounces. She had three holes in her heart, requiring two open heart surgeries and twelve additional procedures throughout her life.

She wears glasses and uses hearing aides and recently found out she is on the autism spectrum and has ADHD.

As a child, Hope struggled to feel acceptance and school was sometimes a challenge. Her mother was one of her biggest supporters.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without my mom,” Hope said. “She helped me and guided me and did what she needed to do for her daughter.”

At 16, Hope got her first job and spent years working at KFC. When she reached out to Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities to start her job search, she was also reconnected to the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

Hope had received services from LCBDD as a child and was eligible for services from the agency’s adult service coordination team. She began working with her service coordinator, Danielle Friend. 

Hope was able to get a job as a dietary aide at Otterbein Granville, helping the senior residents during meals, cleaning and stocking. 

“It’s a very rewarding job,” she said. “The Otterbein residents are hilarious! They are why I go to work, I go because I love to see them.”

Growing up, Hope spent a lot of time around older family members and had a special bond with her great-grandma. 

Working at Otterbein confirmed that supporting senior citizens was her passion, but something was missing.

“I needed to do something different besides working at a job,” Hope said. “I talked to Danielle and she said, ‘What about school? Let’s take some classes and go from there?’”

Hope decided to study social work and enrolled in COTC’s Social Work Assistant program.

“I was pretty nervous in the beginning, my schooling when I was younger was not a very good experience, but in college, everyone has gone above and beyond,” she said. “Overall they make you feel welcome and are there for you if you need it. It’s been an amazing experience.”

Hope decided to add a case management for the healthcare and gerontology professional certificate to her class load. As a part-time student, she is hoping to get the certificate in 2026 and graduate with her associate degree in 2027.

I am looking forward to graduation day,” she said. “I know getting into this field is going to be even more rewarding.”

Hope is hoping to get a job doing case management for seniors who need support or maybe working in hospice.

Caring for her great-grandma at the end of her life inspired her to be there for others.

“There are some people who don’t have family or don’t have that support,” she said. “I want to be able to comfort that person and be there for them.”

Hope is planning to work toward getting her drivers license, but for now, she lives along the Licking County Transit’s fixed bus route so it’s easy for her to get to class.

She loves her courses and sometimes stays up late doing homework, just because she is so interested in the material.

COTC also recently offered her a work-study opportunity, as a reading tutor for students at Par Excellence STEM Academy several days a week. She’s looking forward to working with the students.

Hope’s commitment to work and school led her to another opportunity. She was approached about serving on LCBDD’s Human Rights Committee.

Required in every county by the Ohio Administrative Code, a Human Rights Committee votes to approve or reject restrictions that a team is requesting to add to a person’s Ohio Individual Service Plan. It is made up of a diverse group of people, including people who receive county board services and their family members. In Licking County, the HRC meets monthly and goes through a variety of trainings.

Hope has been a member of the committee for over a year and said she’s had an amazing experience. Advocacy is important to her and she believes that everyone should get their needs met. 

“The HRC meetings really just opened my eyes to my own disabilities and what others struggle with as well, I don’t feel so alone,” she said. 

She’s grateful to have had so many opportunities to learn and move forward.

“It makes me appreciate how much I’ve accomplished and have done in my life,” she said.