Education Beyond 6th Grade: Dreams Can Come True

My name is Perla, and I want to thank Shoulder to Shoulder for giving me the opportunity to do my college internship helping with the Scholarship program. I needed to do an internship in order to complete my college studies. Thanks to Shoulder to Shoulder, I have now graduated from college. I interviewed one of the scholarship students to make this report.

Isabell (not her real name) lives with her grandmother, mother, and brother.  She is in 7th grade, and receives a scholarship from Shoulder to Shoulder. The family is very poor, and did not have any money for school. Isabell was thinking she would not be able to attend 7th grade.  When she was told that she would be receiving school supplies, her eyes shone because her backpack had holes in it and her pencils were falling out. 

Receiving the scholarship has helped Isabell to stay in school.  Now, she doesn't have to worry about not having school supplies or school lunch.  Being free of worries has helped Isabell to discover that she has two talents -- singing and drawing.  She perceives herself as a humble, kind, honest, and happy person.  She dreams of becoming a lawyer or teacher, having a house, a car, a motocycle and a job.  She sees herself in the future helping children or people who are homeless, people who suffer like what she has suffered. 

Isabell said she would like to say this to those who have donated to the scholarship program:  "Thank you very much for helping me this year.  I realize that not everyone can receive a scholarship.  I promise to do as well as I can, and I won't fail any classes and I will behave well."