It was a chance meeting that brought Hayley Rico to Learn4Life. She was 17 years old, taking care of herself and her little brother because their parents who suffered from addiction were unable to properly provide for them. She had been kicked out of school for not attending regularly and was turned away from other […]

Always an eager student, Graciano was on track to graduate early – until the pandemic hit. Like so many students who were not proficient with technology, he struggled to keep up with remote classes. His former school couldn’t help him, and he fell further and further behind.

Roxeanna is smart and has always done well academically, but is shy, keeps to herself and struggles making friends. When she got to high school, her social skills caused her the most pain.

January is National Mentoring Month and time to recognize the powerful influence a mentor can have on a young person…often lasting a lifetime.

My son Josh is a kind and sweet young man but has always been shy and introverted. I was extremely concerned that he would drop out of high school because it was such an awful experience for him.

After Alexandria graduated in 2017, she enrolled in community college and initially found it difficult. “But I did not give up and it started getting easier and more enjoyable. At Learn4Life I discovered that I was capable of anything despite my challenges.”

Minnie M. excelled at Learn4Life and was involved in almost every activity offered at Innovation High, Lakeside. She loved SLAM Poetry, often volunteered at community events and was always willing to talk with other students about our school.

It’s an all too familiar story. Happy teen, honor student and liked school. But in her senior year, she got pregnant and was forced to drop out of high school.

Verbal bullying can be frightening, painful and traumatic – but when it turns physical, the harm can be devastating. Michaela M. was a target of bullies at her previous high school where she was shoved, cornered and threatened.

Echo Carter was always a bright, happy and outgoing child, but when she got to junior high, she became the target of bullies. “I was always a good student — the problem was the social environment for me.