Justin has been a part of the Community Action Café program for his entire high school career. He is a May 2020 graduate, and the YELLS staff could not be more proud of all that he has accomplished. We’ve been blessed to watch Justin grow in so many ways. Hear from Justin how the YELLS Community Action Café has impacted his life:
Justin came to us in his Freshman year, very shy and unsure of himself. Slowly, he began to find his voice and prosper as he experienced real leadership and felt pride as he led community events. He used to be nervous when talking in front of guests or even his peers. If you ask him now, he attributes much of his confidence and networking skills to pep talks from YELLS staff and professionalism workshops during YELLS programming. By his Junior year, he was the first one to volunteer to speak on stage or welcome a guest. Rather than hiding in the background, he started stepping forward to network with community members, and he eventually became our teen CEO.
Justin struggled with school and had to work for his grades. The confidence and purpose he gained in his service work in the YELLS CAC transferred to his school work – and he refused to give up when he struggled. Even when he wanted to quit, he thrived on the encouragement of his peers and staff, and persevered, taking advantage of every moment with our tutors.
When you know you have purpose and you know you’re making a difference in your community, you fight harder for your own goals because you believe you can achieve them. Justin graduated this past school year with all A’s and B’s! We are so proud of him and excited for his future.
