I Am A Success: LaDazja
Like many 6th grade students who join Partnership 4 Kids, LaDazja heard “field trips” and signed up. What 6th grade Dazja may not have realized yet is that she was signing up, not just for field trips, but a support system for the rest of her years in school and beyond. Today, Dazja is a full-time undergraduate student at Bellevue University with a 4.0 GPA and a P4K scholarship. She is studying for her bachelor’s degree in behavioral sciences and is set to graduate in spring 2020. On top of this, she works full-time at Partnership 4 Kids as an AmeriCorps Service Member. “It’s come full...
Read MoreP4K support helps empower college student
Despite a “whirlwind” first two years in college, Jenny, a P4K student since 5th grade, is on the path to graduate in 2020, feeling excited and passionate about her future. A graduate of Central High School, Jenny enrolled at UNO in 2016 planning to be a doctor because much of her family is in medicine. Jenny bounced around specialties from surgery to family physician and nursing, but she was struggling to find the right fit. By her sophomore year, Jenny’s grades were starting to falter. Her classes were challenging, but most of all life at home was stressful. Her dad left and she watched...
Read MoreSuccess story: College graduate grateful for P4K support
Bouncing around to nine different schools by 4th grade made for a challenging start to Terry’s education. He was even home-schooled for a bit in between all the transitions. One day he was pulled out of school and woke up the next day in a shelter with his mother, unsure what city they were in. Despite the back and forth, Terry started with P4K in elementary school and embarked on a remarkable journey to success. “I couldn’t play basketball or football the best, but I found I could win a bike [through P4K] by being good in school,” Terry said. “So that was my motivation at first; being able...
Read MoreI Am A Success: Glenn’s Story
Eighth-grader Glenn enrolled in P4K’s group mentoring program in 6th grade and was matched with his group mentor, Nick shortly after starting the program. Unfortunately, after the end of his 6th grade year, Glenn ended up transferring to a different middle school where P4K was not offered. Glenn and his family decided P4K was too important to give up so they made a plan to ensure Glenn would get a ride to P4K meetings at his P4K home school. As much as Glenn loves participating in P4K, being at a different school has made it challenging to ensure he always has the support he needs. That’s...
Read MoreI Am A Success: Adrian’s Story
When Adrian was first interviewed to join P4K in 6th, he was quiet and shy. His answers to the interview questions were one or two-word responses. P4K Program Coordinator, Gema Ramirez, wanted to learn more about Adrian, so she decided to add Adrian to the program. During school visits, Gema noticed that Adrian kept to himself and didn’t interact much with his fellow classmates. Gema decided to reach out to Adrian’s mom to try and better understand how she could help bring Adrian out of his shell. His mom explained that Adrian was having a hard time with his parents’ divorce and as an...
Read MoreI Am A Success: Eduardo’s Story
“Mentors are what make the future possible for youth,” says North High senior and longtime P4K participant, Eduardo. While most high school seniors are still trying to figure out what they want their future to look like, Eduardo already has his plan laid out, including college, an internship and a full-time job with a solid company. He credits P4K and the mentor support that he received by participating in the agency programs for helping him to discover at an early age what his future could be. He plans to earn his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, while interning at OPPD and upon...
Read MoreI Am A Success: Mar Sha Paw
Mar Sha Paw moved to the U.S. in 2008 from a refugee camp in Thailand. She struggled to adjust to her new surroundings, learning a new language, and a new way of life. Mar Paw was shy and felt self-conscious about how her English pronunciation sounded out-loud, so making friends and participating in school was difficult at first. She joined P4K as an eighth grader, which helped her to connect with new friends and practice her English. Mar Paw found so much value and support as a participant in the P4K program that she continued her participation through high school and is now...
Read MoreThe Road to Success-Timberly Walker’s Story
Partnership 4 Kids (P4K) student, Timberly Walker plans to attend University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) to study social work this fall. She is eager to dive into her classes and her new “college life”. But college wasn’t always part of Walker’s life plan, in fact, when she was in middle school she had already written college off as a pathway that wasn’t for her. After transitioning from elementary school to middle school, Walker struggled to make friends and to keep her grades up. Luckily, support from P4K staff, mentors and her fellow P4K classmates during her middle and high school...
Read MoreElva’s 2nd Semester Success!
“Partnership 4 Kids never lost hope in me, you gave hope to me and to my family.” Elva Ramirez is one of 100 students in the Partnership 4 Kids scholarship program. She is working towards a degree in Public Health at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Elva joined P4K as a freshman at Omaha South High School, after she learned how much her friend enjoyed being in the program. Finally, Elva asked how she could sign up. Elva applied, interviewed and was accepted into P4K by then Program Coordinator, Nick Sasada. “I remember Nick was such a nice person. He always said hi, and knew who I was....
Read MoreDeddrick’s Story
Looking back at the time he has spent in the P4K Elementary Program at King Elementary, Deddrick says he has learned a lot about goal-setting. “Setting goals can help more kids have a brighter future,” he says. As a current middle school student, he has already mapped out his goals for his bright future. “I’m going to graduate and then go on to a trade school to become a mechanic,” Deddrick says matter-of-factly. Although he says he has worked really hard to achieve his past goals, he credits a great support system for encouraging him to keep going towards the gold. “I want to thank my mom...
Read MoreNatalie’s Story
Before Natalie became a part of the P4K Elementary School Program at Saratoga Elementary School, she had a lot of difficulty with school. “I struggled with math work and though I’m not proud of it, I didn’t know how to respect those around me, but more importantly, I didn’t know how to respect myself,” admits Natalie. Natalie credits P4K for helping her to turn things around and believe in her own abilities. “As I became more involved in setting positive goals, I found I could do so much more than I ever gave myself credit for. I stopped giving up when things got tough,” she says. Soon...
Read MoreCorwin’s Story
As Field Club Elementary sixth-grader Corwin made his way through the receiving line at the Sixth Grade Recognition Ceremony, he had no idea the small four-leaf clover he handed Omaha Mayor, Jim Suttle, would have such a huge impact. “He singled me out among everyone, and it really made me feel special,” says Mayor Suttle. Corwin says he found his good luck charm at school one day, but wasn’t sure what he should do with it at first. He knew he would be attending the Sixth Grade Recognition Ceremony and decided it would be nice to pass his good fortune on to the mayor. “I figured he needed...
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