Humans of Green Dot
Rising So That Others Can: Meet Alumna Yaritza Gonzalez
During the 1980s, my parents migrated from Mexico to California in search of better opportunities. In California, I grew up in the fields of Oxnard and the streets of Inglewood, where I witnessed members of my community discriminated against, deported, jailed, and murdered.
Read More >>Why This Senior Almost Didn’t Apply to His Dream Schools
Justin Villeraldo once had a strained relationship with school. “Before coming here I would mess around in class and do just enough work so I could culminate,” recalled Villeraldo. “I hated English class the most; I wasn’t able to focus, and I wouldn’t try.”
Read More >>Why Sarai Traveled Two Hours a Day for School
Ánimo Pat Brown Charter High School (APB) alumna Sarai Flores is one of the many students whose academic trajectories have been dramatically changed since they arrived at a Green Dot school. “I was not a very good student; I felt like school wasn’t important, but my mindset changed when I came to APB. I went from failing all my classes to getting mostly As,” reflected Flores.
Nearly 3000 Miles From Home But Closer to Their Dreams: How These Alumnae Turned Ivy League Dreams into Realities
This summer, Roxana Andrade, an Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo Charter High School alumna; Maggie Vallejo, an Ánimo Inglewood Charter High School alumna, and Londy Hernandez, an Ánimo Pat Brown Charter High School alumna will join other Green Dot graduates in leaving their homes for the first time to pursue their dreams at some of the nation’s most elite universities.
Read More >>Why this Parent Loves Wooddale Middle School
Antoine Stone is a proud Green Dot parent who considers Wooddale Middle School a second home. “It feels so family oriented and that’s what I love. It’s not just teachers that come to teach kids, but it’s mothers and fathers that come to teach their kids, who they call their kids away from home,” said Stone.
Read More >>Local Police Officer Coaches Winning Hillcrest Knowledge Bowl Team
This February, a team of students from Hillcrest High School won first place at the annual Memphis Police Department Crime Prevention Unit’s City Wide Black History Month Knowledge Bowl.
Read More >>Founding Freshman Finds New Vision for Her Future at RVLA High
Le’Trianna Coleman’s growth at Rainier Valley Leadership Academy HS is irrefutable: in less than a year at RVLA HS, her GPA has grown a full point, and she’s transitioned out of classes for students that need extra support into several honors courses.
Read More >>How This Student Grew Eight Grade Levels in English in Three Years
“Before coming here I couldn’t wait until the school day was over. Before coming here I would catch up on homework in my other classes and not pay attention,” recalled Klein Sanchez, a senior at Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo Charter High School (ODLH). “I just didn’t care, but being here it was like, ‘I have to get my grades up, I have to graduate, and get accepted into college.’”
Read More >>Grindhouse Boxing Provides Socioemotional Lessons for Students at Fairley
“I joined the program to help me get control of myself and my anger,” reflected Javeries Suggs, a freshman at Fairley. “It has helped me become a nicer and calmer person. It has also helped me keep myself on track and stay more focused.”
Read More >>More Than a Game: Layups and Life Skills
“Early in my career, my first principal told me, ‘I don’t see the value in athletics.’ My jaw dropped,” recalled Todd Wright, Athletic Director at Ánimo Ralph Bunche Charter High School. Wright knew nothing could be further from the truth.
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