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Evelyn's Story 

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At just 16-years-old, Evelyn was in and out of school. Without any support at home and limited options to move forward, she tried to take care of herself by securing basic necessities through precarious means. 

Soon after Evelyn was placed in juvenile detention, she found out she was 4 weeks pregnant. She spent her most of her pregnancy behind bars, but knowing she was about to have a child motivated her to change the course of her life. ​

Evelyn and Matthew, 2016

​Shortly after she was released from custody in January 2014, Evelyn had her son, Matthew. Her probation officer referred her to the Teen Success, Inc. San Jose program. She was determined to turn her life around, for herself and her newborn son, so she signed up.

"My son Matthew is my happiness and my motivation!" - Evelyn

Evelyn found a support system at Teen Success, Inc. she'd never had before and with her facilitator’s help she reenrolled in school and caught up with her school credits. She received a trophy for "Student of the Year" with Academic Excellence and Perfect Attendance.

In the Teen Success program, she learned to develop goals and slowly built up enough confidence to pursue them. She learned the importance of reading consistently to her son to support his cognitive development. She became a peer leader in her Teen Success group and inspired and mentored other young moms like herself.

“I never imagined that I was going to end up in such a good place, to be honored as a student, and becoming a great person.” - Evelyn

Evelyn (left) receiving her scholarship from Teen Success, Inc. Founder and former California State Senator, Becky Morgan (right)

 became part of Teen Success, Inc.’s 4th cohort of scholarship recipients in 2016. She’s currently at Mission College studying Political Science and she’s applied to transfer to Santa Clara University.

Evelyn’s son Matthew turned five this year and is in preschool. His favorite book is Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? and he loves playing with Legos and dressing up like his favorite super-heroes.

“If it wasn’t for Teen Success I would’ve never considered pursuing a career!”