Student Reflections
Safina
“I spent a lot of my high school life skipping class and goofing around, or just sitting in class not caring whether I understood the lesson or not. At one point, the school administrators told my mom that if I stayed I wouldn’t be eligible to graduate. This was devastating, I thought of myself as a failure.
“I came to Mt. Scott as a depressed junior thinking this school was going to be just like the rest, but I was wrong. I felt the open arms and genuine smiles. I could hear in the teachers’ voices that they wanted me to stay and that they wanted to see me graduate.
“This school gave me a chance to feel confident about my abilities. Now I’m about to graduate and it’s all thanks to the support of Mt. Scott.”
“I felt the open arms and genuine smiles. I could hear in the teachers’ voices that they wanted me to stay and that they wanted to see me graduate.”
Safina
Cionte
“At my previous school I didn’t receive much support and was skipping and not showing up to class. I needed a smaller space and to get away from people that were influencing me in a negative way.
“My counselor told me about Mt. Scott Learning Center. I knew I needed a change and was desperate for Mt. Scott to be what I was looking for. Fortunately, it was.
“What I noticed most was a great group of teachers that support me in my schoolwork and are always checking in with me. The people here care about me and make sure I am doing the right things to stay on track to graduate and get my life on the right path.”
“What I noticed most was a great group of teachers that support me in my schoolwork and are always checking in with me.”
Cionte
Cheyenne
“My lifestyle before Mt. Scott was a huge mess. I never thought about my future and was only focused on childish matters, thinking more about wants than needs. I was skipping and failing classes, fighting and arguing, and constantly getting suspended. And when I was at school, I spent most of my time in the principal’s office or the counselor’s office. That’s the only thing I knew how to do.
“Coming to Mt. Scott was definitely a big change for me. It opened my eyes and I began to see that everyone is different and special in their own way. I became a better person because the teachers here really saw the potential in me. They knew I could be better than I was in the past, and they were right. Even if they didn’t think I did, I always listened to them – because I knew they wanted the best for me.
“Three years ago, I didn’t know if I would even graduate. Now I’m graduating on time and excited about my future.”
“I became a better person because the teachers here really saw the potential in me.”
Cheyenne
Zoe
“I used to think my anxiety would be something I would not be able to deal with. I was always second guessing myself to the point that I would feel debilitated. After I was hospitalized, I knew my previous school would not work for me.
“I remember walking into Mt. Scott and meeting members of the staff for the first time. It was like I could breathe again. Mt. Scott helped me become more stable. The small classes and supportive staff made such a difference. Mt. Scott became a safe place for me.
“Graduation means the world to me and my family. Before Mt. Scott, I didn’t know if I would graduate at all. Now I feel like I’ve taken charge of my future again and my future is going in the direction I want it to.”
“Mt. Scott helped me become more stable. The small classes and supportive staff made such a difference. Mt. Scott became a safe place for me.”
Zoe
Brandon
“Before Mt. Scott I was attending a large traditional high school and wasn’t getting the support I needed to succeed. I was ready to drop out, give up, and leave all my hopes and dreams in the dark. I started skipping school and playing basketball at the local community center, where I met some teachers and students from Mt. Scott.
“I enrolled at Mt. Scott and experienced an energy that felt so much different and better than at a large school. The staff made me realize who I was again and pushed me to do my best. They helped me with whatever I needed in and out of class. I discovered the hope and motivation that I had lost at my previous school. I began to realize my full potential for the first time.
“Before Mt. Scott, people always told me I would never make it to graduation, and that I was going to end up in jail or out on the streets or even dead. But I cleaned myself up and made a new name for myself. And now I’m graduating and can finally say ‘I did it.’”
“…I cleaned myself up and made a new name for myself. And now I’m graduating and can finally say ‘I did it.’”
Brandon
Lucky
“I came to Mt. Scott from a school that had put me in a dark place. A former math teacher flat out told me I would go nowhere in life because I failed his class, and he told me I was worthless and would never graduate high school. Other students were bullying me. It was the worst school experience possible.
“Mt. Scott saved me. It gave me hope from the first time I walked through the school doors. I met teachers who had smiles on their faces and a look in their eyes that told you that you can go anywhere in life. And with their help and support, I am graduating with the opportunity to provide a better life for my mom and me.
“I hope to go to college to follow my goal of becoming a preschool teacher. Thank you Mt. Scott for always being there for me.”
“Mt. Scott saved me. It gave me hope from the first time I walked through the school doors.”
Lucky
Kit
“I was born in Nepal where only a small percentage of women graduate with higher education. As a middle schooler I thought I would probably join the 80% who drop out. I suffered from severe depression and anxiety and I hit rock bottom as a sophomore. Before I knew it, I had been out of school three months and attempted to take my life multiple times.
“After a month in an inpatient rehabilitation center, I was discharged and luckily enrolled at Mt. Scott Learning Center. I was immediately accepted by the community there, giving me a safe space to learn and cope. Mt. Scott provided me with the support I needed that I couldn’t get anywhere else.
“If I hadn’t found Mt. Scott, I probably wouldn’t even be alive today. I know that sounds drastic, but I used to think there wasn’t any light at the end of the tunnel, and Mt. Scott became that light for me.”
“Mt. Scott provided me with the support I needed that I couldn’t get anywhere else.”
Kit