 The middle child of six brothers and sisters, Mercedes Thomas grew up most of her life in foster care because her mom was on drugs and her father was in prison. When she turned 12, she lived with grandmother and grandfather where she was reunited with her six siblings. Her large family was continually moved around due to housing costs and availability. This meant that her schools changed regularly. Mercedes remembers attending approximately 11 different schools. Academically, she always earned F’s in elementary and middle school because she would never pay attention and she was always moving. Mercedes was always trying to be the “class clown” for attention, which she felt was largely because of the lack of attention she was receiving from her parents.
“All I had been told in life was that I was going to be a failure; and all I needed was a little encouragement and for somebody to tell me that I could succeed.”She attended Kearney High School her freshman year, and she started earning C’s and D’s which she felt was a great accomplishment. She continued, however, to fall behind academically, because school was not a priority to her. Her older sister had completed the Job Corps Program and was an excellent role model for her. This is when Mercedes decided she would give the program a shot. Mercedes felt that the SIATech high school program gave her the extra help that she needed, and made sure she understood the material. She notes, “I felt like I was helped step by step, and now I find myself writing and am proud of my work. All I had been told in life was that I was going to be a failure; and all I needed was a little encouragement and for somebody to tell me that I could succeed.” That is what I got from the SIATech teachers and the program. Mercedes just completed the high school program in February, 2008, and will be a facilities maintenance trade completer by March, 2008. |
