I discovered Achievement Academy of Durham on a list of places to volunteer that I received at church shortly after moving to Durham. After about a month of job searching with no leads, I decided to see about volunteering there to stay busy. Less than a year later, I joined AAD as an AmeriCorps member and it’s still the best job I’ve ever had.
After serving there for over a year, and I consider myself so lucky that my actual job coincides so perfectly with my values of giving back, promoting education, and learning from people who are different from me.
Achievement Academy students are pursuing their GED for access to better jobs and continuing education. They did not complete high school for many reasons related to poverty, mental illness, family responsibilities, institutional barriers, and more. Each student has a unique story, but what they all have in common is their desire to make the best of their second chance.
I have been so inspired by their work ethic and perseverance. Some of these students have overcome tremendous obstacles, and it’s amazing to see them pushing forward and chasing down the one thing that can really help them improve their lives: education. I will never forget these three students:
“Jason” heard from his kindergarten teacher that his IQ of 68 meant he would never go to college. All his teachers seemed to believe that about him, so he dropped out of high school at 16. He didn’t see the point. Now, he’s a GED graduate and preparing to enroll at a community college in Durham.
“Julia” dropped out at 16 to provide for her family. Both of her parents were alcoholics and her older sister ran away from home, so she knew it was up to her to take care of her siblings and turn things around for them. She overcame her upbringing beautifully: she’s been happily married to a good man for 15 years, owns a home, and helps her three children with their homework, thanks to the education she received at AAD.
“Richard” is a current AAD student whose poor choices caused him and others lots of pain. He was addicted to heavy drugs for most of his teen and adult life, which led to poverty and a broken family. However, he has been clean for nine years and is riding that momentum as he works toward his GED. He will be a graduate very soon, and he hopes to become a drug rehabilitation counselor.
Beyond my day-to day at AAD, Zach has also been able to use his talents to help the organization. He played the “Pomp and Circumstance” for the Fall 2016 graduation ceremony as the graduates marched down the aisle.
In December 2016, Zach and Mindy did a tremendous service project: they deep cleaned, organized, painted, and restocked AAD’s kitchen. Messes stress everyone out, and that public kitchen had not been treated well for several years. To complete the transformation, Zach laser cut a beautiful wood sign with AAD’s logo to hang in the new kitchen. Now, it’s a place where people actually want to hang out!
The grant from the Wheelwright Family Foundation went to support ongoing operations and purchase additional books for the school library. We are so grateful to the Foundation for helping AAD continue their important work.
Comments are closed.