My name is Kylee Folan. When I first came into TRA’s ACHIEVE! Program, I had been out school for a year and a half. I thought, since I never really got great grades in high school that it was going to take me a long time to get me back into a test-taking mindset again.

The first day I didn’t know what to expect when I got there. I was warmly greeted and got started rather quickly on placement tests to see where I left off educationally. I loved that! Because right off the bat, that told me they genuinely cared for MY success by seeing where I was, before just putting me in a classroom. After I had finished all the assessment tests, they were graded right away.

I passed ALL of the tests with a perfect score in English, near perfect scores in Social Studies and Science. My weakest subject was Math. I left that first day feeling confident and proud of myself and eager to learn.

Every day I would walk through TRA’s doors I knew I was going to be 10 steps closer to my goals of attaining my High School Equivalency Diploma (HiSED) and enrolling in college. I still feel this way now even after I’ve attained my HISED with the scores of a 17 In Math, 16 in Reading, 14 on Both Science & Social Studies, and an 11 on my Writing and Essay. You can probably imagine how stoked I am!

My journey with TRA’s ACHIEVE! Program still continues, because not only do they help you pass your High School Equivalency Tests (HISETS), they help you set up a foundation for your life where the only way you can go is up. Now I am working to receive my Customer Service Certificate, writing a resume, and enrolling in Quincy College. I plan to start college in the Fall semester of 2016.

I’m am beyond grateful to have found such a program that wastes no time on getting you where you need to be, and I am truly grateful to all the instructors/ mentors at TRA-Quincy. I am mostly grateful for my mentor, and one of the most wonderful people I’ve had the privilege to work with, ACHIEVE! Instructor Jim Harris.