“Enrolling at the ASC in Queens is the best decision I’ve ever made.”
– Isabel Romero
88% of ASC students maintain employment beyond 6 months
In FY22, 26 students graduated and 22 of those students went on to college
After years of struggling with depression and a lack of motivation at school, Isabel Romero enrolled at Vibrant’s Adolescent SkillsCenter (ASC) in Queens to finish her GED. As a high school junior, Isabel found the emotional health support, academic and career resources she needed to get healthy and stay focused on her dreams.
I dropped out of high school halfway through my junior year.I didn’t care about school and felt lost about what I wanted to do with my life. A friend of mine told me about the Adolescent Skills Center. As soon as I heard about the program, I enrolled. I knew I wanted to get my high school diploma; I just didn’t want to return to my old school, where I felt unsupported.
As soon as I walked in, I felt welcomed. I got along with everyone I met – the other students, teachers, and emotional support staff. They reviewed my high school records to see what credits I was missing, and sat down with me to understand what subjects I found most difficult so that they could provide additional help in those areas. I was assigned a case worker namedAndrew, who has turned out to be an incredible mentor of mine. We met weekly, reviewing my schoolwork, discussing any difficulties I had at home or with friends, and outlined what my future could hold. It took a lot of hard work –and many extra math tutoring lessons from Andrew – but I got my GED! I showed all the doubters that I could do it, but most importantly, I showed myself.
After clearing that hurdle, Andrew helped turn my attention to my career. I felt terrified to go after what I was truly passionate about—which is retail—but with Andrew’s counsel, I put together my resume, interviewed, and landed a great job in the retail industry. Today, I’m an assistant manager at the company. I feel knowledgeable and experienced in this sector. In fact, just last year, I opened three stores across NYC!
If it hadn’t been for Andrew and the Adolescent Skills Center I would never have believed I could finish high school, let alone be a leader at a company. But having a caseworker like Andrew see potential in me, listen to my dreams, and push me to go for them, made all the difference. Enrolling at Vibrant's ASC in Queens is the best decision I’ve ever made.
