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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

“If I never came to Texans Can, I would have been dead,” said Trinity, senior at Texans Can Academies. “The path I was on before I came here was… I know I wouldn’t have seen the age of 18.”

Trinity is from a single-mother home with seven brothers—all from different dads.

Life slowly began to wear her down with recurring familial issues and health problems. She soon realized she didn’t have enough credits to graduate.

The world became too much to handle, so she dropped out.

“Life was a pain for me. Society dragged me down, especially at my old school. All the he-said-she-said drama, and the school system there didn’t work for me,” said Trinity. “Teachers didn’t care; they just wanted you in and out. The way my mindset was back then, I couldn’t take all of the negativity at once.”

But despite all her distress, it didn’t take long for Trinity to decide that she needed to enroll back in school.

“My little brothers motivated me to keep going. I didn’t want them to think ‘oh, my sister didn’t graduate, so I don’t have to.’ I don't want them to follow in my footsteps. I needed to be better for them.”

“I’m the only girl—the oldest too—so I have to set a good example and be the first to go to college. I want to show them there is good in life. I learned that at Texans Can.”

Trinity noticed a huge difference in the school’s approach as soon as she started.

“Teachers at my old school had no faith in me. But at Texans Can Academy, they pushed me to do better not just in school, but in life,” she said. “Here it’s smaller; it’s different. There are shorter classes, and teachers actually sit with you and make sure you learn. It’s a good school where you can get the extra help you need. It’s where other schools fail.”

Life finally didn’t feel like a burden to her anymore. Trinity was learning to thrive.

“My advisor, Mr. Armendarez, basically became my second dad because he’s like a parent at school that I don’t even have at home,” Trinity said. “He’s made a big difference in my life. When I first got here I didn’t like it. There were uniforms, it was strict, and I didn’t appreciate authority—but Mr. A never gave up on me.”

Having an advisor while attending school has made a huge impact on Trinity.

“He [Mr. Armendarez] would say, ‘I believe you can do this. Forget what everyone else says. You can do anything as long as you set your mind to it.’ If it wasn’t for him I don’t know where I would be.”

“Having someone encourage me is something I never usually hear,” said Trinity. “It made me realize I could make it in life.”

When asked about referring Texans Can to other students who are struggling in school, Trinity did not hesitate.

“I definitely recommend Texans Can to anybody, especially if you want to graduate early and get your career started. They have colleges come here—before you even graduate they make you do FAFSA and apply for colleges.”

“Texans Can pushes you that extra step to make sure you have a plan after graduation versus in regular high school they say: ‘alright you graduated. Good luck. You’re on your own.’”

With graduation around the corner, Trinity is ready to embark on a new journey while making a difference.

“I want to major in social work, do criminal justice, then work in a detention center. I know I have a troubled past, so I want to help kids get through that too.”

“Texans Can was my only option after I dropped out,” she said. “It was the best decision I ever made.”

Unable to adequately satisfy the credit requirement set at her former high school, Brit’kne began listening. The same message kept coming, one of positive feedback surrounding Houston Can! Academy's success rates in helping students get back on track and earn their high school diploma. Washington enrolled at Houston Can! Academy in March 2007, and will be among the June 2008 graduating class. “If you are behind in your regular school and want to graduate on time, they will definitely make sure you graduate on time,” Washington explained. In fact, Houston Can! is somewhat of family affair for Washington. She has a brother in the 11th grade and a sister in the 12th, both graduating next January. While Washington gives praises on the academic program, she says wearing a uniform took a little getting used to. “That’s the only thing I didn’t like, but it’s a small sacrifice to make so I can get my diploma.” English, Math and Computer are among the 17-year old’s favorite subjects. She is looking forward to attending Texas Southern University’s Pharmacy Tech program, and ultimately wants to become an Anesthesiologist. “I became interested in the medical field because some of my family is in it. I know I have a lot of studying to do, but I’m up for the challenge,” adds Washington.

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.”

Like many students, Roxana had failed the English portion of the STAAR test.

She wasn’t sure how she would succeed, but she was sure her future beyond high school was on hold.

Facing taking the STAAR test again was discouraging, even more so when she could not find the support she needed at school.

“I had difficulties taking the English STAAR test in my old school not because I didn’t pay attention,” she says. Her teacher gave students books to improve their reading; she was simply not asked questions about them. No discussions about them followed.

She was, in other words, left to learn on her own.

“I want to graduate. I don’t want to spend my days like this,” she remembers.

When she found Texans Can Academies, the difference was clear. Her prayers were answered.

In addition to the reading and writing proficiency she was gaining through the interactive readings in every class, Roxana found engaging teachers who went the extra mile.

“They spent time actually working days that they could be resting at their houses, but no: they really care about you. They treat you with love and respect.”

Roxana is excited to meet her future beyond school, but she looks back on her time at Texans Can with gratitude, and she has a word for those like her who cannot see a way forward.

“I want to encourage you. Keep going. You only fail when you fail to try.”

Roxana graduated from Texans Can in 2019.