30 Years at Vista!

Last month we celebrated as a community the Students and Members who have accomplished employment and longevity milestones in the Vista program. However, there were four other individuals that have been instrumental in the success of so many people at Vista that we honored that day, the Vista staff that have achieved amazing milestones as employees.

Every Fall Family Weekend, we celebrate the achievements of the Vista staff that reach their 10-, 20-, and 30-year anniversaries as Vista employees. Today we would like to highlight our two 30-year honorees, Roberta Paro, Program Instructor at New Heights, and Yvonne Fusco, Student Support Counselor. They both joined the company in 1993, around five years after its inception. Roberta and Yvonne have both been instrumental in many students’ and member’s journey at Vista, and in the organization’s achievements. We spoke to Roberta Paro about her 30 years as a Vista employee and how the company has changed over time.

Left: Roberta Paro, Right: Yvonne Fusco

“I’m very grateful that I found a vocation where I get to think with people and think about people. That’s how I like to use my mind, and I get to do it all day! I started as a Job Coach in 1993, and I was also a “Driver,” a job that we now call Student Support Counselor. When I joined Vista the parents of our members were all older than me, now I’m older than most of them!”

There has been a lot of change in the past 30 years. When Roberta started there were only a handful of Vista employees and students/members. “I think the most amazing thing has been watching Vista grow and change,” Roberta said. “I think the successful growth is due not only to Vista’s strategic planning, but the core belief in the abilities of our Students and Members.”

The commitment and longevity of Roberta and Yvonne is a testament to their belief in Vista’s mission, and we can’t thank them enough for everything that they have done for Vista, our students and members, and the Vista community as a whole.

More to come…