“Reaching Higher is a gift:” One student tells her Reaching Higher story

There are so many words that fill my head when I think about my experience with Reaching Higher, but the one word that can resonate with the most is real.

I have never been a part of a program or have met people that are so passionate about what they do, and I even saw that the first day I was in the classroom. The first time I walked through the doors to go to class — and honestly before that — I immediately felt at home.

All the adults there were so kind and they were greeting us right before we walked in. Every single session moving forward, I fell more in love with the program; I knew I had to make a difference in the program that gave me a new purpose in my life.

After graduation, I made it a priority on my list to be a student mentor at my high school. Although I knew it would be different from my first experience with Reaching Higher, I was so ready to begin that next phase in my life.

Going back a second time, but as a mentor, was an experience that I can’t put words to. It was the most rewarding and heartwarming feeling someone could witness, and anyone would be lucky to be involved in.

Reaching Higher is a gift that many people don’t see until they notice; I wish more people would take the time to stop and appreciate everything that this program has to offer because it has given me more than I could have ever asked for.