My name is Aaliyah and I am a junior at Regis Jesuit High School and I would like to tell you a little bit about myself. I am about to be 17 and my favorite singer is Chris Brown and I play tennis for Regis Jesuit. When I first decided I wanted to join Boys Hope Girls Hope, I realized that I would have to work hard and change my life style. When school started my freshman year I realized that Regis wasn’t as easy as I thought it was going to be, but I pulled through and worked as hard as I could. During my freshman year I couldn’t decide if I was doing the right thing for me and if staying at Regis and at Girls Hope was worth it.
When Girls Hope matched me with my mentor, Susan, during my freshman year she helped me to continue this journey. With the help of my mother and Susan and Girls Hope, I finished my freshman year. Susan also helped me get a job at The Original Pancake House.
In my sophomore year, I refused to get under a C in any of my classes. When school started I worked hard and brought my GPA up to a 3.4 and I realized that I could do this and I can continue to work hard. If I needed help with homework or studying, tutors or staff were always available. Now I am in my junior year and I still have my job and I am taking two AP classes. I am enjoying my classes and I am taking ACT and SAT prep classes.
Later this Winter I am going on the Kairos retreat and in January I am starting to look at colleges. Through my years of high school I have grown up, made hard decisions, and learned from my mistakes. I know if I want to make it in this world I need to have an education to get a great job. I know this program can help me get to my dream life. I will continue to strive to reach my goals and continue to be a role-model not only for current girls in the house, but future girls, who are nervous for the first day of high school or sleeping at the house for the first time or missing their moms.
I want them and you all to know that anyone can achieve their dreams with a little bit of hard work and help from others. Thank you for making all this possible.