Former Neighborhood Youth Services Student

Drawing New Life Paths

I am presently a student at Lake Superior College studying graphic design, but my life could have turned out much differently. I was born in Chicago, and from the start, my life has been rough. I was the first of seven kids in a poor, black family living in poor, black neighborhoods attending poor, black schools surrounded by gangs and a lot of people who just didn’t care.

At the age of 16, I moved to Duluth to live with my aunt. It was here that I discovered the Washington Center and Neighborhood Youth Services (NYS), and it was one of the first times I saw an opportunity for change.

As one of the programs operated by Woodland Hills, NYS was a place that really stood out for me. It was the first time I was introduced into a completely positive environment. The mentors and staff at NYS were adults who I could look up to and who looked out for the youth – not only inside the youth center but outside as well during our everyday lives.

To be honest, if it wasn’t for NYS, I would have been out in the street getting into all sorts of trouble. The people in the program were living examples who showed that despite your surroundings or your origin, you can live a positive life and do positive things.

Now I have been given the opportunity to be a role model to the next generation by passing on the things I’ve learned, and more importantly, by just being there for the kids. Through volunteer work and work study, I’ve been given a chance to be a positive adult figure who kids at NYS can trust and depend on. I’ve been given a chance to give back to those who have given to me.

In life, there are a great number of influences that shape who we are. My experience at NYS is one thing that has helped shape who I am today.