Through Her Struggles, Youth Finds Strength
Shanna Summers has faced many struggles in her life, but instead of seeing them as barriers she has used them as motivators to reach her goals.
Shanna grew up in a single parent household and graduating was very important to her, since neither of her parents had graduated high school. Unfortunately, she was bullied in school and every day was a struggle. In her junior year, her mom got sick, and the bullying became too much. Shanna dropped out.
Unwilling to give up on her education, Shanna enrolled in online classes. She also got her first job to help out at home. Impressed with her work, her employer shortly asked her to become assistant manager. Things were looking up, but then took a turn for the worst when Shanna got caught up in the wrong crowd, soon finding herself jobless and once again out of school.
Shanna moved to the Gaylord area with her boyfriend. Having no friends or family in the area, she supported them with a job at Qdoba. She didn’t have a vehicle, so she walked the 13 miles back and forth to work, rain or snow. Her boyfriend, Jimmy, also walked the 13 miles to Qdoba, until he quit and then she supported both of them.
In December 2014, Shanna became enrolled in the O4S program. She had heard of the program through a coworker and she started with a goal to get her GED. From the moment Shanna enrolled in the program her motivation was apparent. She was not going to let anything get in the way of getting her GED. The O4S program helped Shanna with a bus pass, for which she was extremely thankful, and in February, the program was able to assist with her drivers’ permit. She will be taking her road test this June.
Even when they were struggling to pay bills and Shanna had to get a second job, she kept the GED a priority. She studied on her own and passed her first test on 2/24/14. Thrilled, there was no turning back now. Since then, Shanna has passed three tests and plans on taking her final test in June 2015. Once she has her GED, Shanna hopes to continue on to college and achieve her dream of becoming a veterinarian technician.
Shanna’s positive attitude and hard work has never ceased to amaze, which she states she owes to her parents. She does not use her struggles as excuses, to her they are strengths. Shanna is tremendously appreciative of the help the program has been able to offer and says it played a huge part in reaching her goals. With her determination and positive attitude, Shanna looks forward to accomplish more in her future. There is no doubt she’ll be a success in this world.