Car for Kids Benefiting America's Kids

There was a time when Ana didn’t have much hope for what her future might hold. Her days were filled with severe bouts of depression, sadness and even thoughts of suicide. Today, Ana is a new mom, wife and a young woman who sees a positive outlook for herself and her family’s future. She credits Houston Can! Academy Hobby campus for helping change her life and providing the foundation she needed to pursue her dream of becoming a registered nurse. “When I was going to South Houston High School, I was always fighting, hanging out with the wrong crowd and not going to class,” said Ana. “I knew if I stayed there I wasn’t going to be able graduate so I could better my life.” Ana, like many at-risk students who attend Houston Can! Academy, just needed an educational environment to give them the hope to become somebody extraordinary despite the challenges they have faced in their life. “I came here three years ago in the middle of tenth grade,” she explained. “The environment has been really good. There haven’t been any fights and the teachers really care and take time. My favorite classes were reading and parenting, which was very helpful, especially since I was about to have a baby and I learned a lot.” Ana found teacher expectations to be high, but that they were always there for support. “I failed the TAKS once the science part, but I passed all the other subjects on the first try,” she said. “The teachers gave us a lot of extensive tutoring for the test which helped. If you want to come here and take care of your business, you can definitely do it here.” Part of the first graduating class of 2008, Ana didn’t wait to get her diploma before starting to take a few nursing classes at San Jacinto College. She says she is up for the challenge of finishing the four year program while juggling school, work and motherhood duties for her son, Julio Jr. “My sister died of AIDS and I wanted to be a Doctor, but that was going to take too long, explained Ana. “I still wanted to be in the medical field so that I can help others, and nursing is a good way to make a difference.”

At 30 years of age, Ana-Maria has everything she wants…career, family and an education that will never fail her. All because she chose to pursue her GED with Dallas Can! Academy. Ana-Maria, like more than 40% of Latina teenagers in Texas, found herself pregnant with her first child while in school. Struggling to continue on in school while being raising her child was more than a challenge…it was near impossible. After finishing the eighth grade, Ana-Maria did what many teens with families do. She dropped out of high school. “The summer I got out of ninth grade, I decided to drop out of high school and get my GED [General Equivalency Diploma],” she said. “I tested at Live Oak and was told I could take the GED test within a few weeks without having to attend the regular classes.” However, she didn’t give up. She went in search of a school that could meet her needs. Then she found Dallas Can! Academy. She chose Dallas Can! Academy, which was located on Live Oak Street at that time, because she wanted to make immediate changes in her life. Dallas Can! Afforded her the flexibility to raise her family while still pursuing an education. “It was such a short period for me, but I enjoyed that there was a program that was tailored to fit my immediate needs,” Ana-Maria said. “I was able to get in and get out and move to the next stage in my life.” She was able to take the GED test that summer. Earning her GED in 1995, she immediately put it to good use by enrolling at Dallas County Community College District at Eastfield. She quickly earned her Associate’s Degree in General Studies, then moved on to the University of Texas at Arlington to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. By the end of December, she will graduate with her Master’s of Business Administration. She plans on starting law school within a year. Today, Ana-Maria is the Executive Director of the Jubilee Community Center where she works with hundreds of families and children in the Jubilee Park neighborhood, revitalizing the community. “I was working in Marketing and Sales for another non-profit, but I wanted to work with the community and reach out to kids and families who were experiencing the same struggles I had growing up,” she said. “Dallas Can! Provided me the hand up I needed to keep moving.”

Imagine growing up not knowing where you would get your next meal from or where you would be able to sleep safely each night. It’s unimaginable for most of us. But it was reality for Hillary.

At the age of two-years-old, Hillary was taken from her mom and placed into Child Protective Services and was transferred from foster home to foster home.

Today, she’s 19-years-old and on her way to graduation with her 9-month-old baby girl.

“It’s been hard for me going from shelter to shelter and in and out of foster care. When I finally thought things were getting normal, people want to adopt me and then they don’t. It’s hard on you.”

Hillary was always in search of her ‘forever home,’ but when you are forced to live with strangers, you never know what each day has in store.

“I finally gave up on trying to get adopted and just stuck with being in foster care. I accepted the fact that I would be there until I was 18. So I ran away, like every other teenager does.”

The lack of control that comes from being a foster child caused continual insecurity for Hillary. She believed it was normal for a teenager to run away from home.

After running away, the endless battle for stability continued; she became pregnant.

“I knew I wasn’t going to be able to take care of the baby, but I didn’t want to end up like my mom and lose my daughter. At that point I didn't think I was going to finish school either, but then at the shelter where I was living, I was told about Texans Can.. I was finally determined to do better and be better. I didn’t want my daughter growing up thinking it’s okay to not finish high school because her mom dropped out. I want her to think ‘my mom did it, I can do it too.’

“On my first day at the school, I thought it was all good vibes. I was welcomed by the advisors, the principal, and some of the teachers, too. I was really happy. I went from ‘I don’t know if I want to do this’ to ‘I think this is going to be a good experience.’

It was life changing because a lot of kids drop out of regular high schools and they don’t come back.

Texans Can was actually like a home when I was there. I had classes with most of the teachers there. And they truly want to see everyone graduate and do something with their lives.

The learning processes are even a lot different from other schools. Marquez Reading helps us listen and understand material. A lot of the kids begin here and don’t know how to read, but with Marquez Reading we are able to learn. It also helps us bond with each other and the teachers.

I use those skills all the time now, including those listening skills. Other schools are loud and people are always skipping class. At Texans Can people check up on you and make sure you’re okay. The classrooms are also a lot quieter and you don’t get distracted.

When you walk in there’s always someone there to greet you. It’s very different, a good different.

Being here has changed me a lot.

I know if I was with my mom today, I wouldn’t be the person I am. I would probably be out in the streets doing some horrible things.”

Today, with her 9-month-old daughter clinging to her side, she will walk across the stage at graduation. Hillary is determined to change the cycle she grew up with, and in doing so, changing the future for her daughter as well.

“Right now I’m still living in the placement I am in for the next couple of weeks. I plan on moving to Fort Worth, getting my own apartment, and taking classes online. In the future, I want to become a therapist or counselor at a shelter so I can help other people get through life.”

Hillary has learned to motivate herself with the desire to help others despite her hardships because of the help that Texans Can Academies gave her.

“I want to tell everyone, don’t quit. Quitting is not worth it. This school helps a lot. I came here not caring, but I’m leaving here caring so much.

A lot of people think Texans Can is going to be like every other school, but I can guarantee you it’s not like any other school. They’ll actually push you and motivate you to do better so you can be someone in life.”

My name is Dwayne and I've been attending Dallas Can! Academy for two years now currently enrolled as a sophomore. Education is very important to me. When I was kicked out of my home school, I didn't want to give up. I began researching other schools. While I was doing my research on what school I was going to attend, I looked on the website of Dallas Can! Academy and read some of the success stories that were presented by other students, I said to myself "I want to be part of that school". 

Dallas Can! appeared to have a strong support system that would help my educational needs. Education is important to me as well as many others, for many of us this is our first accomplishment when receiving our high school diploma. This is just one step to help us to become much closer to achieving our goals. 

My mother always told me that "a real man has standards". Most boys my age are on the streets doing stuff they not suppose to do, to me we all need to be in school so we wont end up like them and to make a name for ourselves. We shouldn't only go to school for a high school diploma and then give up. I think we should at least give college a chance, go in see what it is like. 

At home in my room, I have a list of goals hanging on the door and everyday I wake up and read it to see what steps I need to take to get closer to my goal. But first I need to graduate high school. I think it's important for all students to have a list of goals. It doesn't matter what goals you have, just don't stop chasing them. After you finish college make sure your goals are still in order for internships and various job interviews. 

Like George Washington Carver said "Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom". And with no education what doors can you open?

August 24, 2010 I moved to Houston with my family from Honduras when I was 8 years old. I have always worked hard in school and dreamed of going to college one day to obtain a degree in Business Management. I attended Cornelius Elementary School and Ortiz Middle School. After completing my 9th grade year at Chavez High School, I realized that in order for me to fulfill my dream, be a role model for my younger brother and cousins, and the first in my family to graduate from college, I needed to walk an extra mile. 

With that in mind, I decided to enroll in Houston Can! Academy Hobby campus. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Houston Can! Academy has many academic programs to help students such as my self be successful. They offer small settings, which is what I need to help me reach my goal of early graduation and fulfill my dream of going to college. I am so proud of Houston Can! Academy which is an excellent school for students with goals and I plan to graduate with commended performance. Respectfully, Jairo