James

“You need to take care of yourself, and take what you’ve learned to help others.” These are the words of James, an educator who says his story is a lesson for others who strive for a better life.

As a teen, James spent time in a United Way funded after-school program. “The activities that I took part in encouraged me to look at life differently – instead of drinking or doing drugs, I had to go to college and become a leader.”  

James stayed in the program and became the first member of his family to graduate high school and college. He also served in the military and after returning, he became a Public Ally.

Now, James is the teen program coordinator at Neighborhood House and is helping students who attend programs there stay on the right track. “I have one student who, for a while, wasn’t even thinking about higher education,” explains James. “Now he is applying to colleges, looking at scholarships and focusing on his future.”

For James, it really has come full circle. “I use my story as an example to really motivate young people that you can achieve what you want,” James says. “It is possible.”