Cheyenne first came to the Staten Island Huntington in spring 2011 as a fourth-grade student. She was doing very poorly in all of her subjects, and had very low self-esteem because of this. We began building her basic skills in reading and mathematics. Because she had struggled for so long in school, she had truly come to believe that she wasn't capable of doing well in school.

Cheyenne's mother, however, never gave up on her, and neither did the teachers and staff at Huntington. Week after week, the teachers worked hard to help Cheyenne reach her potential. Slowly, she started to see a difference in her abilities. Her efforts at the center started carrying over to her school work, and before long, Cheyenne's grades started to improve. By the end of the first marking period of fifth grade, Cheyenne had achieved second honors for the first time.

Cheyenne's success is not limited to her grades. Her attitude has completely turned around. When she first started at Huntington, Cheyenne refused to believe she was capable of achieving much of anything. Following making second honors earlier this school year, Cheyenne changed schools. At her old school she had become part of the academic elite, but at her new school, she was now an average student. Rather than falling back into her old habits of just getting by, Cheyenne now knows that she can achieve what she sets her mind to. Where she once fought coming to Huntington, she now knows we will help her become an honors student at her new school, too.

FROM: Cheyenne