Kiersten Manuel, 17, is an active high school senior. Not only does she achieve high grades and take Certified Nursing Assistant and dual credit classes, but Kiersten also participates in girls basketball and track. She is the Chief Financial Officer of her school’s student-run coffee shop, a staff intern and a part-time associate at Kroger.
Two years ago, if you had asked April Williams if she thought she would ever graduate high school, the answer likely would have been “no”.
Indianapolis Metropolitan High School is designed for students experiencing circumstances that may present a barrier to education. Supports such as free child care, transportation assistance, family empowerment coaching and small class sizes help students remove those barriers and meet their goals.
When Genesis Ortiz withdrew from high school during her senior year, she never imagined that she’d be pursuing a teaching degree nearly 10 years later.
As Daesha Cottrell nears the end of her senior year at Indianapolis Metropolitan High School, she is raising the bar for students who follow in her footsteps, exemplifying leadership, while preparing for college and beyond.
Angel Beyersdorfer struggled with drug addiction for a decade before she finally hit rock bottom. She lost her home, car and driver’s license and couldn’t hold down a job.
As a small city in rural, southern Indiana (population <7,000), Scottsburg has the same challenges larger cities have but fewer resources available to address them. Of the 12% of Scottsburg residents who didn’t graduate from high school, an astonishing 44% over the age of 25 live below poverty level. Other common barriers include criminal history, addiction and homelessness.
Greg Perry beamed with pride as he stood at the podium at his graduation from Goodwill’s New Beginnings program, recounting the experiences that led him to prison as well as those that changed his life. New Beginnings is a six-month, re-entry program that helps those who were recently incarcerated adjust to society after their release.