Kennedy came to the Back on Track program after dropping out of high school in her senior year. The strain of having to provide for herself, coupled with lack of confidence in her academic abilities took a toll on her and decided school wasn’t worth the struggle. Her school counselor referred her to Back on Track where she found support for students facing challenging situations, and she enrolled in the night class.

The program worked well with Kennedy’s circumstances. Its flexibility allowed her to both pursue education and make a living, and the self-paced classes gave her the option to complete assignments from home when work and class times conflicted.  Not only did the program allow Kennedy an alternative path to earning her diploma, it fostered confidence in her ability to learn and succeed academically as well. At first hesitant of her writing and reading skills, Kennedy worked with the Back on Track staff individually until she felt proud of her work and her ability to do it well. Now that she has accomplished getting a high school diploma, Kennedy is motivated to enroll in beauty school this fall to become a hairdresser and esthetician. Of the Back on Track program, she says, “Overall, my experience was incredible. The teachers were helpful, the other students were polite, and the schoolwork was challenging but not too challenging. I would recommend the program to anyone in a similar situation as me. I was lucky to be able to join Back on Track”.