Think back to your favorite high school teachers and why you liked them? Was it because they didn’t pay attention and let you skate by? Likely not. Our favorite teachers were the ones who knew us, encouraged us, and challenged us to grow and do our best work. They helped us stay motivated, supported our […]
Serenity Hunter – was just that. This shy girl with a troubled family life was searching for the calm, peace and untroubled mindset that most people enjoy. She first enrolled at Learn4Life as a foster youth with her head down low, very little self-confidence and no motivation to attend school. She had almost no support […]
National Community College Month brings recognition to the advantages they provide at-risk youth. While about 30 percent of college freshmen drop out in their first year, Learn4Life dual enrollment students tend to be more successful in college. According to Learn4Life’s own data, a majority of its students who earn dual enrollment credits and go on […]
Hailey was diagnosed with autism when she was six. Despite being placed in various special education programs, she fell behind in school, which made her frustrated and angry. She had limited social skills, was bullied, isolated and very unhappy. In high school, she was placed in a group with other autistic students, but recalls being […]
Autism Awareness Month is a chance to highlight the one in 59 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. Students like John B., who suffered a severe illness as a toddler that left him silent and diagnosed with non-verbal autism. John’s kindergarten teacher introduced him to facilitated communication, so he could express himself using a talking […]
In a major win for Opportunity Youth, an appeals court overturned a 2019 ruling that would have closed five Learn4Life schools for teens who have previously struggled in traditional schools. The ruling affects more than 1,100 students – 65 percent of whom had already aged out of public school and would be left with few […]
Graduating from high school and attending college was once only a dream to 19-year-old Dreama S. After overcoming multiple obstacles including surviving cancer, the trauma of losing a sister and experiencing temporary homelessness, she graduated with honors from FLEX High School in the fall of 2020 during a national pandemic. She recently started her first semester […]
In just one year, Ayat Aldoori moved across the globe, learned English and graduated from Learn4Life at age 20. Her family escaped from war-torn Iraq and spent nine years in Egypt before immigrating to the U.S. Her education was erratic, and she missed three years of school because of the lengthy immigration process. She was […]
Jamila Moore is now 21, but back when she was just 15, her English teacher inspired her to write a story, and to improve it with dialogue and write it as a chapter book. And it took a few years, but she now has a publisher and a fully illustrated fantasy novel, written for young […]
Kids who love animals often dream of becoming a veterinarian someday. But like any career path, there is a lot of hard work that needs to happen – and for high schoolers, that can start with Career Technical Education (CTE) classes. So, we offer an array of CTE pathways that prepare students for high-wage, […]