Vanessa’s Story: “The best thing for everyone”

Vanessa will be the first to admit that she has made some mistakes in life. She hung around the wrong people. She skipped school. She got into fights.

But her decision to drop out of school wasn’t necessarily another bad decision: It was, in fact, part of Vanessa’s plan to get her life back on track.

Her father, a roofer, hadn’t had much work during the economic recession. And her mother’s job at a grocery store certainly didn’t pay enough to care for a family of eight.

“I was working at a daycare,” Vanessa said. “I had a chance to work more hours to help out my family, and I decided that would be the best thing for everyone.”

But it’s not always easy to escape your past. When an employment background check revealed that Vanessa had been in trouble with the law for getting into a fight, the daycare let her go.

“I looked for other work, but no one was hiring,” Vanessa said. “You can’t get a job without a diploma nowadays.”

A cousin told her about the NoDropouts recovery partnership with Washington’s Sunnyside School District. Six months later, Vanessa is on track to graduate.

After that, Vanessa said, she’d like to become the first person in her family to attend college. That won’t erase any of the troubles she’s gotten herself into, Vanessa said, but it will help ensure than she doesn’t have to keep paying for those mistakes for the rest of her life.

Is there a Vanessa in your community? We can help you help her. Call us at 855-NO-DROPOUTS or send an e-mail to info@nodropouts.com