Car for Kids in California

Ashley Viera is a 21 year old student who is married with 4 children. Ashley just had her third child at the end of last school year. Despite the obstacles of being a mother and wife, Ashley has continued to come to school and is determined to finish. Currently Ashley is 8.5 credits away from graduation and will hopefully finish San Antonio Can! in June 2011. Ashley's Quote: "I like that my classes are shorter and I get out earlier so I can still have quality time with my 4 kids. That is why I came to San Antonio Can!"

Back at my first high school, I skipped constantly and several staff told me “You will never graduate!”, I was kicked out of school and tried to find another one to attend. Many schools, even alternative programs rejected me because of my past behavior, they recommended that I go to Austin Can!. 

I dropped out for a while but finally enrolled in Austin Can! Academy. It was a big change to have smaller classes and uniform but when I am in the classroom the teachers actually teach! If you do not understand something, they take the time to explain things and encourage me to go to tutoring. 

In the past, I never knew what I scored on TAKS but since I’ve been at Austin Can! my math score has increased a lot and my score has gone up 200 scale points. I never took my academics seriously in the past, but the staff helped me to believe in myself! I will be graduating this June and then will attend college.

Erica has a beautiful smile, is very bubbly and very positive. She graduated in June and has been accepted to Texas A&M. She went to a large public high school before enrolling at Houston Can! Her grades were good but her mother had a baby and needed Victoria to help babysit so she couldn't attent school. Her mother also became ill, had several surgeries and a long recovery period. Victoria’s grades began to slip. 

A friend told her about Houston Can! so she enrolled because she could attend school a half day and babysit her new baby sister the other part of the day. Erica said the past few years during high school were a very, very difficult time for her. She is very close to her mother and was worried about her. And she was also caring for a newborn infant. When her mother returned home from the hospital she required a lot of bed rest and Erica was responsible for her care, too. 

Without the schedule at Houston Can! and the support of her teachers and advisors she said she doesn’t know what she would have done it. Erica is very excited to have been able to graduate from high school and is really looking forward to moving to College Station this August. As a result of her life experience, she plans on studying nursing.

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.”

From Ready to Work Coordinator, Charlotte Chew:

Filling out the Apply Texas application with students is a day-to-day task in this job. Armandina reminded me one day of how big of a difference the seemingly simple task of filling out a college application will make in a student’s life. I met with Armandina a few times in the semester to help her figure out what she’d like to do after high school. She decided that she would like to attend community college and she came to me to assist her in filling out her Apply Texas application. I sat with her as she filled out each page then when she submitted her application I told her “Congratulations! You’ve just applied for college….and you’ve been accepted!” She looked at me with wide eyes and asked “For real?!” and then gave me the biggest hug. She completed the Accuplacer exam when a representative from Palo Alto College administered the test on our campus.

The following week after she completed her Accuplacer, the Can! transition coordinator and I met her at St. Philip’s College to connect her with services and to show her which offices she needed to go to in order to register for classes and manage her financial aid. Armandina seemed rather overwhelmed and in shock that she was at college about to enroll for classes. She finished her credits in October and has registered for the spring semester. I had the opportunity to work with her for just a short time, but I’m really proud of her for following through with plans for a bright future.

Armandina plans to study nursing in college and become a Registered Nurse. She says she wants to become a nurse to help others. She was inspired by her mother who was diagnosed with diabetes and Armandina helped her with insulin injections. This made her realize her passion for taking care of others.

Congratulations Armandina! We are so proud of YOU!