I am a junior at Missouri Western State University.  I am from the inner city of Kansas City, Missouri and I am, as people like to say, “a product of my community.” I say this proudly because most of my peers who come from the inner city of Kansas City fall into the cycle of teen pregnancy, dropping out of school and ending up without the education they need.

However, I have taken a different route.  I can proudly say that my future is very bright because my destiny is in my hands.

I had the chance to take a different route in life, partly because I attended afterschool programs.  The 4-H After School Activities Program, and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Kansas City, gave me the chance to develop skills that I am not sure I would have developed if I had not been involved in afterschool. This includes communication skills from being around others who were different than me. Afterschool programs also gave me the opportunity to travel outside of my hometown.  

As a teen, I had the chance to be a mentor at both the 4-H afterschool program and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Kansas City. Mentoring helped me to develop confidence because others had confidence in me. I am now an ambitious young woman who is ready to take on the world! I am a strong believer that involvement in various activities gives you the skills you need to succeed – communications skills, learning to work with people who are different from you, and having confidence in your own abilities. Most young people do not have the means to get involved in important activities like these, but afterschool programs give them those opportunities.