Bridging Gaps

By: Anonymous

I don’t think that it is any secret that the public school system is inundated with challenges these days including shrinking budgets, over crowding, security and standardized testing. It is no wonder that schools have difficulty finding the additional staff, time and resources to properly attend to our children’s more subtle, but still vital, needs of opportunities to connect, excel and creatively solve life’s problems.

For these reasons I feel blessed that I am afforded the opportunity to bridge this gap for students as talented and promising as Kelsie.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting a young teenage mom who is determined to graduate high school, go on the college and make a good life for herself and her daughter. Kelsie came into my office at the Teen Center one day and simply said, “I need help, I was told this is the place to come for it!” She said she wanted to start a support group for teen moms in our high school. We had a chance to talk for a while, and she told me how she is determined to overcome all of the challenges set before her, and nothing is going to stand in her way. She recognized that other girls, in similar situations, are also struggling and that the school was unable to offer much in the way of resources or help for their situations. Kelsie knew starting this group was necessary.

She and I meet a couple of times to discuss programming and goals for the group. Within that time I really had a chance to get to know Kelsie, she is truly a remarkable young woman – her determination is inspiring, as well as contagious! She will certainly reach any goal she sets her heart on. Her desire to help others is extremely empowering for her and her peers. It is a pleasure to know this young woman and be a part of this process.