Steven Mello dropped out of school at 15 in the 8th grade.
"I
was in a rut. I was scared of the work world and got money illegally. I
went through a lot of pain that killed my confidence even more. One day
I went to church and decided to get my GED."
A friend told him about TRA.
"I started coming because I wanted to change my life to a
positive and see how far I could go. I surprised myself."
Very proud of getting his GED, he is grateful to Lisa, Allison and Rosa
for helping him achieve his goal. Lisa says when Steven didn't get the
way one person explained a concept, another would step in until he
mastered it.
"There were moments when things started to
'click'," he said. "I was scared of failing. Lisa gave me a lot of
motivation not to quit.
It felt like climbing a mountain. They really supported me. "
He had an especially difficult time with the math section of the test.
He took it three times (the most allowable per year) before passing it.
"I finally have something in my life that I can be proud of.
This is a stepping stone. I would like to be a positive role model for
other young people. Fast money ends fast. Hard work gets you good
things that last."
Steven plans to attend community college in the fall.
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