Building things has been in David's blood for as long as he can remember. Recognizing his natural spark for creation early on, David's father bought him Lego sets to nurture his hands-on creativity. As David grew older, that childhood curiosity turned into real experience as he worked right alongside his dad on construction sites. He also loved spending peaceful days fishing outdoors with his father. However, school was not always easy. Diagnosed with a learning disability at age 10, David struggled with bullying and low self-confidence in his early school years.

August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month, a time to celebrate and support families on their journey to feed their babies. Goodwill Nurse-Family Partnership® (Goodwill NFP) a program that pairs first-time, expectant parents experiencing economic barriers with a registered nurse, walks alongside families to help them reach their personal goals. Every family is unique, and Goodwill NFP honors a core belief: clients know themselves and their hearts best. The decision to breastfeed is always the mother’s choice, and when a mom chooses to nurse, her Goodwill NFP nurse is right there to support her.

When Alexandria, known to her friends and teachers as Alex, first walked through the doors of Indianapolis Metropolitan High School in 2022, she carried more than just a backpack. She carried the weight of a difficult past and a hesitant heart.

There is a profound power in the moment you hold your high school diploma, knowing you fought for every bit of the success it represents and knowing it is the key that unlocks your future. For Brandi Demmings, her November 2025 graduation from The Excel Center® campus in southeast Indianapolis was the culmination of a journey defined by resilience, family, and an unbreakable spirit.

Indianapolis Metropolitan High School is built on a simple, powerful truth: every single student is fully capable of doing great things. It was intentionally designed to give students more ways to plug in, move forward, and crush your goals.

High school is a journey of self-discovery, but for some students at Indianapolis Metropolitan High School, that journey includes navigating the rewards and challenges of parenthood. As a tuition-free public school through Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana, Indy Met is designed to break down barriers to education. Perhaps no program embodies this mission more deeply than the Parent Life elective.

Walking down the halls of Indianapolis Metropolitan High School, you can feel the energy of students working hard toward their futures. Every student has a unique story, and some have overcome challenges along the way. Brittany Yanasak, a teacher with sixteen years of experience, understands this deeply. Having spent four years at Indy Met as the Multilingual Learner Teacher of Record, she knows that sometimes students just need a place to let their imaginations run wild.

Each year, Goodwill employees are encouraged to share stories of individuals who have overcome significant barriers to achieve success. Through a formal nomination and selection process, candidates are narrowed down to the top three finalists in each category.Once the award winners are selected, a video production process begins to bring these remarkable stories of resilience to life.

As The Excel Center® in Shelbyville celebrates its 10th anniversary, the milestone serves as an opportunity to reflect on a decade of transformation, opportunity and community impact. Since opening its doors in 2016, the school has helped hundreds of adult learners earn their high school diplomas while creating pathways to college, career advancement and brighter futures. Few people have been more closely connected to that story than Khalilah Palmer.

In the heart of rural Indiana, where the roads stretch long and the opportunities can sometimes feel sparse, you would find David. When Susan Sheets, Goodwill TalentSource™ Rural Career Pathways Grant Coordinator, first met David in January 2025, he had just graduated from The Excel Center® in Richmond. He was a young man with a sharp mind for logic and math but faced barriers that would have caused many to stay exactly where they were.