"More than just a school."

Shanna, Precious, and Precious' mom testify on 5/25
(photo by Andrew Christman)

I have never really been a troubled student or been in trouble either. I am a good student and have always gotten good grades. However, the things I’ve had trouble with are self-confidence, public speaking, and other skills that’ll help me throughout my future. After graduating middle school coming out of a private school on a scholarship, there weren’t many schools my parents approved of. So, my parents tried homeschooling me but I needed a more hands-on environment where I could actually talk to my teachers in person and get help rather than over the internet. So, that wasn’t working to well and one day my mom ran into an advisor from El Centro. It had just opened. They talked about it and it sounded like the type of school we were looking for. When we got there it was more than just a school. (And when I say ‘’we’’ I refer to me and my mother because this school is all about having the parents be a part of the students education and always knowing what’s going on.) It’s a school where everyone has an equal chance at learning what they need, whether it be academic or life skills. If they don’t have what you need they’ll find a way to accommodate you. When I felt I wasn’t being challenged, they set it up so I was enrolled in a dual-enrollment program at CCP. There I got a taste of what college is going to be like. I was able to have that chance because they trust the students at El Centro. Internships are a major part of Big Picture learning, that’s where you learn what it’ll be like to be out in the real world working. I’ve had two internships while going to El Centro and through them I’ve learned what I want and don’t want to do in the future. It saves me time and money wasted from changing majors because I’m unsure of what truly enjoy, but because of the m I know. El Centro has taught me a lot about the friends and connections you make along the way and what they’ll continue to mean to you. It’s through El Centro that I learned that my voice had meaning and how to use it and speak up about what I truly want. At El Centro the school is the students domain, it’s where we feel comfortable, and are able to do what we love, and learn. I’ve been so blessed to be a part of El Centro. As a part of the first graduating class of El Centro de Estudiantes, I wanted to be a part of the first group to leave our legacy behind for the next class, instead of being the only legacy. They have been doing extraordinary work with students, some who have gotten to enjoy learning and get something out of it for the first time. Everyone keeps saying that we children are the future but without this school the future looks a pretty dim.

--Precious Y.