Our programs bring hope to students like Franchesca, who moved to Cleveland from the Dominican Republic three years ago with her family. Franchesca, who spoke little English when she arrived, found acclimating to a new high school and new community difficult without the support of her extended family who remained in the Dominican.
Once she became involved in our high school mentoring and youth leadership program, Franchesca says she found the “family” she needed to help her succeed. Franchesca quickly began to master the English language and, in just her second year at Thomas Jefferson High School, began earning straight A’s.
Through the guidance of the Esperanza mentoring team, Franchesca is working toward her associate degree in nursing at Tri-C, which will enable her to secure a job and then work toward finishing her goal of earning her degree in psychology.