I would like to brag on Kiah, a ninth grader at Lewisville High School-Killough Campus, for her resiliency.
When I first met Kiah in the fall, she was experiencing a significant amount of stress from family conflict in her home life. I listened and helped Kiah verbally process the changes she was experiencing in her nuclear family life. I could see the pain in her eyes as she voiced her concerns about how she would make it through her first year of high school as all of this was happening at home.
Kiah and I built rapport quickly because we have a very similar sense of humor. We bonded over the fact that we are both huge fans of Jimmy Fallon. Kiah would frequently visit the CIS office to eat lunch and talk about her ups and downs of the day. I saw that Kiah was making significant progress with supportive guidance services, and would benefit greatly from enrichment and college readiness services.
Kiah became an active participant of the Communities In Schools Bridges to Success college and career prep workshops. She attended field trips to the University of Texas at Arlington and the AT&T Aspire Mentoring Academy in Dallas. She joined the high school track team, found her confidence, and is having a wonderful season.
I am proud of Kiah because she has worked hard to improve her grades, her relationships, and her school participation despite her difficult year at home. Kiah and I have had many conversations about her dreams for the future. She is working hard to make A’s and B’s, wants to attend college, and eventually wants to work in the medical field.
