Alex and Angel Team Up to Conquer Goals

This past school year I have had the privilege of working with an amazing young lady, Angel, a high school senior and now graduate of Renton’s Lindbergh High School. Angel had always been engaged in school and had a laser-focus on her goals, which included graduating from high school, attending a four year university, and becoming an OBGYN.

As Angel’s Education Specialist, we collaborated to map out a plan for her future and wrote down the steps she would need to take to accomplish all she had planned for her senior year. We researched several colleges for their strengths and their weakness, filled out her FAFSA form together, and explored several scholarships available to her. Angel spent her senior year studying really hard to ensure she would pass all of her classes and that she made good use of the support available to her, like her teachers, mentors and other students who helped her in the areas she was struggling in.

I was incredibly proud to see Angel receive her high school diploma on June 12th. Graduating from high school has always been a goal of Angel’s since she was very young. Angel’s mom never graduated from high school, which was a factor that motivated her daily to work hard. “Knowing I was going to be able to go out into the world and do something positive and make a difference pushed me through the hard times,” Angel shared. While the year brought it’s ups and downs, Angel fished the year strong and was proud she was “able to move on from all my struggles that I faced and that I was able to overcome every obstacle in my way.”

In addition to the excitement of Angel’s graduation, I was so lucky to be present when Angel found out that she had been accepted to her dream school, Lane College, a historically black university in Jackson, TN. Preparing for college can be an overwhelming task for any youth, but for youth in foster care, it comes with its own set of unique challenges. I recently got a chance to sit down with Angel and talk about what she is doing this summer to get ready for college. Angel is preparing for her transition by asking lots of questions, reaching out to individuals in her life for emotional support, and as she put it, “upping her organizational skills.” When I asked her what she is most excited about at Lane, the answer way easy: “Meet new people, experience new things, and pursue my dream of becoming an OBGYN!,” she exclaimed. It has been an absolute pleasure working with Angel and I have no doubt that she will be successful as she makes her way to Tennessee and continues to accomplish each goal she sets for herself!