Night School, a documentary film following three adult students working to earn their Indiana Core 40 high school diploma and technical certifications from The Excel Center will be showing for a limited time this June at the Indiana State Museum.

Nurse-Family Partnership participants graduate from the program when their child turns two years old and then have the option to continue engaging with Goodwill programs through the NFP Graduate Program. Visits with a nurse-home visitor stop, however the mom and family, if desired, may meet with a Goodwill Guide for ongoing support and resources focused on child development, school readiness, economic stability and self-sufficiency.

Cheree Sampson and Suton Sykes have always emphasized the importance of education to their four boys, all under age 15. Watching the boys go to school each day, Sampson and Sykes knew it was time to get their high school diplomas so they could take steps toward life goals that include providing a stable environment for their children.

Tala'ra Maull was just six months old when she took her first international flight, to her mother's home country of Nepal. There her maternal relatives doted on the baby, and now a toddler she remains the apple of her parent's eye.

When Taketria Reed first heard about Nurse-Family Partnership, she didn’t know what it was. What she did know was that she didn’t know anything about having a baby or being a mom. When she received the details about NFP, she decided to sign up. She and her NFP Nurse-Home Visitor Heidi Birkey clicked right away.

The typical student at The Excel Center® – Goodwill’s high school for adult learners – is between 18-24 years old, but returning to school at the age of 47 isn’t the only characteristic that separates Brenda Leake from most of her classmates.

Although a teenager at the time, when Dominique Daye learned she was pregnant, her priorities became her son and planning for their future. She didn't have a car or a stable living environment, so she moved from Indianapolis to O'Connor House, a home for single mothers and their children located in Carmel, where she stayed for more than 18 months until she could secure a place of her own.

Denise Floyd enrolled at The Excel Center when she was nearly 30 years old. She had previously left high school after falling behind in her classes. Denise supported her family working various odd jobs, but she wanted a career.

Goodwill Young Leaders is comprised of professionals with diverse backgrounds and experiences who support and promote Goodwill's mission services in central and southern Indiana. They receive in depth tours of Goodwill behind the scenes and learn what Goodwill does and why it is so much more than a Goodwill Store. One of our newest Young Leaders is Gita Turnbull. We took a moment to ask her a little about her experience so far.