I was 55 or 56 when I enrolled in Urban Ed. I was looking for something different, something interesting to do. I went to Urban Ed during the day, and I worked at night. I was so tired all the time, but I still went. I had to be there, for the other students. These kids come from the streets, and you can get lost so easily in these urban areas. I believe that God put me there in that classroom to share my history and to help these kids keep going, because, you know it’s hard, really hard. These kids don’t have opportunities, and I felt like it was my responsibility to help them continue their education. The truth is that if these kids just sacrifice one year of their lives, they can change their whole lives.

I loved going to class. I was always good with my hands, and knew something about computers, but Mr. Sterling was able to really teach us concepts and help us understand why things work like they do. He would take a piece of the computer out and tell us to figure out how to put it back together. I learned a lot – so much. Mr. Sterling made learning about computers as easy as catching a bus. Now, even years later, I am using what I’ve learned to help people around me repair their computers. And, I feel I have so much to learn.

I love Urban Ed. They are like family to me – especially Roxanne – she is amazing the way she cares about the students. I still visit students at Urban Ed and I push them and I tell them that I wish this were around when I was young, because it would have changed my life so much earlier.