“Now I am making a difference in my life”: A former dropout tells her story

The reason I dropped out was I had an issue with one of my teachers. I always did my work but sometimes I would come to class a few minutes late. It was always excused (I had to take community transit in the mornings) but one day I came into history class and before I could sit down my teacher asked to talk with me.

I stepped outside and she told me that I was too far behind. She said I should just drop out or go to the community college. She said it would be easier on me and on her.

It broke my heart to hear my teacher say something like that. When class was over, I called my mom in tears.

A few days later I decided that I was not going back to school. I was going to stay home and take care of my mom. She has diabetes and a lot of doctor’s appointments, so I felt like it was the best choice for us.

Now I’m back in school in a dropout recovery program. It’s giving me a chance to prove that I am really a hard-working person, trying to make a better future for myself. It can lead to college, which is better for me and my family.

Life is already hard enough, and without a high school diploma I knew things would be even harder. I feel like this program has done so much for me already. Just knowing that this can lead to college is so amazing to me, because I never thought I could make it there.

Now I am making a difference in my life. A lot of people looked down on me for dropping out but now, when they hear my mom praising me, they look at me different. Now they see that I not the poor, black girl who dropped out of high school. Now they see I have a goal and I am not giving up on myself. I am not a failure.

After I finish this program, I am going to enter a phlebotomy program and sign up for community college. When I have saved up enough money, I want to go to University of Washington and get a great education. I want to learn more about the medical field and, someday, I would like to be a pediatrician because I like to be around kids. They make me smile.

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"T.C." is a former high school dropout and a student at The American Academy, which partners with school districts across the nation to re-enroll dropouts. For more information on The American Academy and its programs, visit NoDropouts.com