BALTIMORE (WJZ)–If you watched Governor Martin O’Malley’s State of the State Address on Thursday, you may have heard the governor tell the story about a woman who was unemployed but now has a higher paying job.

WJZ tracked her down, and Gigi Barnett has her story.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about jobs,” said Gov. O’Malley in his State of the State Address.

In a tough job market, many Marylanders understand that concept. Cynthia Logan is one. For 13 months she searched for work, counting the months after a previous contractual position had ended.

As a trained social worker who helps wounded veterans, she thought work would come quickly.

“I got some interviews, but I was not hired,” Logan said.

Logan panicked.

“I began to wonder ‘Why I am I having problems trying to breathe?’” she said. “This is anxiety. Not necessarily anxiety attacks. It’s like, this thing is not moving.”

Logan tried everything, and then she went to one of the state’s one-stop career centers. There she found help.

“I remember years ago, you would talk to a counselor one time and it was over,” Logan said. “But now it’s total preparation, and the one-stop centers are helpful. They were very helpful to me.”

Finally, the interviews came, and the governor called, too. He’d heard about Logan’s story and featured it in his State of the State Address.

“She was never ever game up. She continued to move forward, and she ultimately landed a new job, which actually pays more than the one that she lost,” O’Malley said in his address.

Five months ago, a former employer called her back to work. One of the lessons she’s learned: don’t settle for a position just because it pays.

“It has to be meaningful,” Logan said.

Logan still helps army veterans who were wounded in the war in Afghanistan. She says that job is meaningful to her because she lost a nephew in the war two years ago.

Logan’s new job is based on a five-year contract. She plans to retire when it ends.