Shanita’s mother has been addicted to drugs for most of her life and became HIV positive after the birth of her last child. Shanita has been the primary caregiver for her four siblings and has often been a parent to her mother. Many times her mother would sell their groceries in exchange for drugs. There were nights when Shanita went to bed hungry because she gave what little food they had to her younger siblings. In and out of the foster care system, Shanita found solace in school. Her struggles have motivated her academic achievement and she was awarded the Martin Luther King award in middle school, voted school president, and most likely to succeed. Her teacher says, “Shanita is the single most outstanding student at our school, but more importantly, she is one the most exceptional human beings I have encountered.” With a 4.1 GPA, Shanita is eager to start college in the fall where she wants to study either sociology or human services.

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