Liz, our Student Re-Engagement Specialist at Greater Johnstown Elementary School, was volunteering at a local youth program when somebody recognized her Communities In Schools shirt and approached her. To Liz’s surprise, this woman was a proud CIS alumna and was eager to share her story. Bayinah currently works at the elementary school as a substitute teacher and recently finished her bachelor’s degree in childhood education. But her road to success was a rocky one. Growing up, she faced hardships, and Bayinah credits Communities In Schools for getting her across the stage at graduation as a teen mom.

Ten years ago, Bayinah was 17, a senior in high school, and pregnant. In addition to her traumatic home life, she was also attending school in person for the first time in two years after a stint of being homeschooled. She felt truly lost, nervous, and out of place. After explaining these struggles to her guidance counselor, she was introduced to a Communities In Schools site coordinator working at the high school.

Bayinah met with her site coordinator every week. In addition to the valuable resources she was given, she quickly learned that it was a safe space to discuss everything she typically suppressed. After Bayinah gave birth and was on maternity leave, her site coordinator brought her homework to her house every week and even took the time to work through it with her. During those visits, her site coordinator reminded Bayinah that she was worthy of success and promised to help her every step of the way. A few months later, her site coordinator attended her graduation and watched her walk across the stage and receive her high school diploma.

Because her site coordinator never gave up on her and reminded her of her purpose, she never gave up and knew her potential. Her experience with Communities In Schools made a large impact on her decision to complete her bachelor’s degree in childhood education, and to pursue a master’s degree.