When Emma thinks about her years at HOPE at Glenn R. Jones Learning Center, she appreciates time spent with the people she met there more than anything else.

"All of the teachers and students are really nice," says Emma. "Ms. Kim and my other teachers were really helpful to me all of the years I was there."

Emma started at HOPE in middle school at another HOPE Learning Center. She followed Kim Garcia, director of HOPE at Glenn R. Jones Learning Center, to Glenn R. Jones in tenth grade.

School was not something that always came naturally or easily to Emma, but she found support, patience, and kindness from Garcia and the other staff and faculty at HOPE.

"I had a hard time with math and English," says Emma. "But Ms. Kim helped me so much with those by explaining things to me in a way that made sense. She's the reason I was able to pass those classes."

Garcia, for her part, saw a student who was willing to step up to overcome challenges and become a leader at the Learning Center.

"Emma is very competitive with herself," says Garcia. "If she got a 90 percent on a test, she'd come back and fight for a 100 percent on her next one. She always wanted to do her very best – even when she didn't particularly like certain subjects."

Staff at Glenn R. Jones describe Emma as a true leader who cares a great deal for others. She would often initiate friendships and go out of her way to talk to people, as well as support staff as a teacher's assistant by helping serve lunch and making sure fellow students were where they were supposed to be.

Emma left HOPE for her junior year, facing personal challenges that she needed to overcome. During that time, school was not a priority for her, according to Garcia. But when Emma returned to HOPE for her senior year, Garcia noticed a distinct shift in attitude and commitment to getting back on track.

"When Emma came back to us for her senior year, she stepped up and became a leader," says Garcia. "She knew what she needed to do to be able to graduate, and she plowed through her classes and met all the goals she set for herself."

Emma is currently employed at a local supermarket and is working toward becoming a manager once she is old enough to be eligible. She doesn't know exactly what the future holds for her, but she knows she can tackle any challenge when she puts her mind to it.