Paola, 19 years old, Originally from the Dominican Republic, Attends New Heights Neighborhood Center in Washington Heights

My name is Paola. I am 19 years old. I was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic. I have two younger brothers and an older sister. I came to the United States at the age of three. I grew up in Washington Heights. I love spending time with my family and friends, and one of my favorite hobbies is going shopping with my friends. One of the most sadest moments of my life was when my friend past away, when I was in seventh grade. Through that experience of losing a friend I learned a lot of things, like how to appreciate life and all the good things that I have. High school was a different stage of my life and t he reason that I decided to drop out of at the age of eighteen was, because it was too far away from home and I didn’t really like the school and the students that attended it. After I dropped out of high school; I started working in a shoes store, but then I decided that I needed an education and be someone better. One of my friends told me about New Heights; how they help young adults get prepared to get a job and their GED. Thanks to New Heights I feel more confident in myself and that I could accomplish all my goals in the future.