From Underdog to Overachiever

19 year old Heather Macquarie wasn’t so sure she would ever see the day where she would be a high school graduate, let alone valedictorian. Her life has surely resembled that of a rollercoaster ride. Although Heather is now optimistic about her future, she has experienced many lows in her life. Before attending Covenant House Life Skills Center Central, Heather attended two other high schools. She found it difficult at both schools and began struggling academically. Because life at school for Heather was so tough, she began partying heavily to cope. With all of her partying and lack of studying eventually Heather found herself as something she never wanted to be, a high school dropout. She became confused and depressed, as several of her friends were now graduating. Heather called countless alternative high schools hoping to enroll, but was disappointed to learn that it would take at least a year to graduate, despite being only three classes short of a diploma. At this point Heather didn’t know where to turn. It wasn’t until a friend told her about Covenant House Life Skills that life began to look up for Heather. She enrolled in October, and by June Heather was a high school graduate! She credits God, her family and friends in helping her obtain her diploma. And not only did she get her diploma, but with focus, dedication and hard work, Heather received the highest G.P.A. in her class. Although she has faced many obstacles in her life, she understands that her struggles have made her a much stronger person. She sees graduating high school as only the beginning as she said in her speech, “It is not time to stop, but its time to keep our focus and obtain everything that we want”. Heather wishes to attend college and become a math teacher, but more importantly she is looking forward to all the challenges that life will bring. Heather has gone from underdog to overachiever, thanks to hard work, faith and Covenant House.