When she entered public school at Mott Haven Village Prep, her experience proved to be very different than she expected. “The school was amazing!”
Geraldine Manan . . . has graduated from high school, and is enrolled in college
Geraldine Manan attended a private school from kindergarten through ninth grade. Her life changed dramatically when her parents separated. She had to care for two younger siblings and could not continue in private school.
from East Side House and fighting for financial aid, her plans to enroll in college became possible. “East Side House gave me two things,” she exudes. “The first was amazing people who dedicated their time and energy on getting me to college expecting nothing in return but for my dreams to come true. The second was goals, goals that will take me farther than my local beauty salon.”
When she entered public school at Mott Haven Village Prep, her experience proved to be very different than she expected. “The school was amazing!” she describes. “The teachers cared and volunteered to stay late. They really thought about me and what was best.”
Geraldine has matriculated at Wheaton College, where she plans to double major in Criminal Psychology and Business Management.
By learning how to manage her time, Geraldine took advantage of what East Side House had to offer: college visits and other trips, after-school classes with computers, and Young Women in Leadership groups. “It’s hard to put into words what East Side House does for kids,” she explains. “The way they treated us helped me see what I could do and get to.” The demands of her home life and needs of her family made it a challenge for Geraldine to focus on herself and make the decision to go to college, even though she had been accepted by Wheaton College, her first choice. By earning scholarships
Today, more young people than ever before are seeking East Side House’s services and beating the odds to complete high school, go on to college, graduate from college, and join the workforce.
147